Dealing with the New Girl
by hostclubmanager17
Summary: Jacklyn Prout is a brand new exchange student from America who can't wait to start at Ouran Academy as a 1st year student. But what happens when she befriends the newly created Host Club? Rated T for potential language. Kyoya is a little OOC
1. August 31st

**Okay, I'm rewriting this. It's bad, I don't like how I've had to separate the days into different chapters, it's a very poor example of my writing capabilities, and I'm not portraying the characters as I should be. Ergo, I'm changing some things up around here... without, you know, getting rid of the reviews and favorites and followers. But, just to clarify, I'm not changing the story _much._ I'm just fixing the bad parts I wouldn't have written a year ago. I hope this works out...**

 **(Also, small side note, I'm changing my characters' name _just a tiny bit_ _._ It's a symbolism thing.)**

 **Disclaimer: I only own my OC character. The Ouran High School Host Club and all of its characters belong to Bisco Hatori and all of it's publishers.**

* * *

" _Is your apartment big enough? I've heard that in Japan everything is really small so-_ "

"It's fine."

" _Are you sure you don't want to rent a car? I don't want you to be riding your bike and have someone hit-_ "

"Everyone rides their bikes here, Mom. I'll be fine."

" _You don't have to go to that private Academy if you don't want to just yet. After all, you'll be starting later than everyone else. I double checked and we can still sign you up for a public school in the area until their next school year starts up._ "

"Mom, I'm the first American to ever set foot in their school as a student. It'll look very rude if I turn tail and run. Besides, it might be fun!"

" _Well, if you change your mind and want to come back next April instead of staying in Japan for another two years, we'll get you a plane ticket pronto, alright?_ "

"Yes, Mom."

" _Now, I want to remind you about our rules. One, no parties. You're living on your own, but you're down there for school. If your grades don't add up, we're bringing you home. Two, stay safe. Don't forget emergency numbers and-_ "

I rolled my eyes and pulled the cell phone away from my ear. Pressing the speaker button and laying the phone down on the counter, I continued to open the cardboard boxes that were full of kitchen supplies. My mother's voice droned on as I stacked the cooking pots in the cabinet next to the stove.

No, I wasn't paying attention and, yes, I felt a little guilty, but my mom and I have been in the same phone call for the past hour, ever since I landed at the Tokyo International Airport, and she's repeated the list of 'Jacklyn's Do's and Do Not's of Japan' four times now. I love my mom, but sometimes I wish she would stop talking.

"-a _nd above all, call or contact us everyday. We're given two times every day to speak when the other isn't about to go to sleep, so it's a narrow window. Keep all these things in mind, and enjoy yourself!_ "

"Okay, Mom, I will."

" _Have you finished unpacking, yet?_ "

"No. Actually, I think I need to hang up with you so I can get the last of it all and go to bed. I have school tomorrow."

" _Oh. Okay, then. Goodnight, Jacklyn._ "

"Good morning, Mom. Make sure Ben keeps Alec out of trouble."

" _I'll remind him. Bye_."

"Bye."

I hung up and set my phone down. For a moment, I just stared at it, twirling my long light-brown hair between my fingers. Although I'm glad my ear wasn't being talked off any more, I still missed my mom. And Dad. And Alec. Heck, my little brother hadn't let go of me until I had to head off to the plane gate. We haven't been separated for over a week ever since Mom and Dad brought him home from the hospital thirteen years ago. As annoying as he is...I'm gonna miss him.

 _Ding dong!_

I jump, my phone slipping out of my hand and back onto the counter with a loud _smack!_

 _Who..._

Biting my lower lip, I skirted around the cardboard boxes littering my apartment and peeked out the small peephole in my front door. Standing just outside was a mom and her daughter. They were holding a container each and looked excited about something. I took a very deep breath to steady my nerves before pulling my face away from the door, unlatching it, and pulling it open.

"Hello?"

The mom spoke first, extravagant and cheerfully, "Hello! Oh, you're so cute! I'm so happy we came to visit!"

"We're your new neighbors, two doors down, and we wanted to welcome you to the apartment complex!"

I blinked before smiling at the two, "O-oh! Thank you! Ah... w-would you like to come in? I mean, I-uh, I haven't finished unpacking everything yet, but I do have plenty of places to sit. I-if you want, you know?"

They smile and nod, walking through the doorway, the daughter shaking my hand as she did so, "I'm Haruhi Fujioka, and this is my dad, but-"

"But please call me Ranka! Everyone does!"

My eyes widen a tad, but I take this new information in stride, "It's a pleasure to meet you both! I'm Jacklyn Prout. I just moved here from America."

"Oooh! America, how exciting!"

I closed the door and lead the two over to the couch, kicking boxes out of the way as I went, "Well, make yourselves at home. Again, I'm sorry about the mess…"

"Oh, it's no trouble, you probably weren't expecting guests. Have you had dinner yet?"

"No, I haven't. I've been a little busy…"

Ranka smiled widely and took the container from his daughter's hands, "Oh, good then. I'll make the three of us some dinner and we can talk some more. Haruhi will keep you company!"

I giggled, "Thank you very much! If you need any help, just ask!"

"I will, now, make conversation with my daughter!"

"Okay, Dad, we will."

He rounded the corner and Haruhi gave me a warm smile, "So, Jacklyn, right?"

"Yup."

"What grade are you in?"

"I'm going to be a 1st year student in High School, apparently. It's going to be a little weird starting after summer break since everyone else has already started, but I think I'll manage. How about you?"

"I'm a 3rd year at the Junior High School. That means you're only one year older than me."

I laughed out loud, "Figures! Most of my friends are either younger or older than me! I don't do all that well with kids my own age!"

"You too? It seems like all the girls in my grade care about are clothes and famous actors! They don't bond well with girls who like to study all the time and get good grades."

"Really? I guess Japan really isn't all that different from America. But there's nothing wrong with liking that stuff."

"Of course not, I just meant I have nothing in common with the girls who go clothes shopping every month."

"Yup. I may like to go to a _bookshop_ every month, but…"

Haruhi grins and calls out, "Hey, Dad? I think I just found myself a new best friend!"

"That sounds perfect, Haruhi!"

When she looks back at me, I lean in a bit and whisper, " _Your dad is super cool! But, I have to ask, does he prefer male or female pronouns?_ "

Haruhi stares at me for a moment before smiling, " _He prefers male. And thank you for asking._ "

" _No problem._ "

"Hey, speaking of which, I haven't seen your parents around. Are they-"

"They're in America. I'm just here for school, all by my onesies."

"Sounds a little lonely… where are you going to school, then?"

"Ouran Academy."

Haruhi perks up, "Ouran Academy? The prestigious school?"

I smile at her eagerness, "That's the one. I was one of the three students coming to Japan to be offered a scholarship to Ouran Academy, and the only one to receive it. It's full tuition for all three years if I remain in the top 5 students of my class, and they'll even pay for my first year of college anywhere in the world in full!"

"Wow, that sounds like the acceptance of a lifetime!"

"Yup! I'm both the first American student and the first honor student to ever be accepted into Ouran Academy! Hey, I heard that they'd be offering another, similar scholarship to the public schools around Bunkyo next year. Haruhi, you should try for it! You seem super smart, I'm sure you'll get in!"

"You think?"

I nod vigorously just as the microwave in my kitchen dings and Ranka calls out, "Dinner's ready!" Haruhi and I hop off the couch and rush to help set the table, Ranka's cooking wafting through the room and making my stomach growl. Haruhi's own stomach responds and I giggle. I guess I don't have to worry about making friends...

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 **Sigh. Yeah, this chapter wasn't adjusted much, but the next one definitely will be. I hope these adjustments will go over well. I'm just very aware that this story isn't as popular as my other one, and I think the writing style and characterization might be the reason. Well, let me know if you think these adjustments are better.**

 **Read, review, favorite, follow, whatever you'd like.**

 **See you next chapter!**


	2. September 1st

**Alright, next chapter. Definitely longer than the first one, but that was more of a prologue if you think about it, right? Anyways, this is where I start changing a lot of things. First off? I'm done splitting days up into two or three chapters. From now on, one chapter per day. Although... it's easy to say that when the day has already been written... Oh well, here's to trying!**

 **Disclaimer: Only own Jacklyn. Promise.**

* * *

 _Somebody save me, please._

I stared up and the _absolutely huge_ pink building in front of me, sunlight shining off the green grass and birds singing sweetly in the air. Boys and girls milled around on the pathways, chatting or admiring the flowers in the flouncy, aloof way rich kids do. The hairs along the back of my neck pricked as I walked through the iron gates and onto the pathway. Immediately, people began staring at me, hissing to each other about my combination of skinny jeans, t-shirt, sweatshirt, and cameo converse.

My outfit was so out of place I felt like I was going to be sick. Licks of conversations tickled my eardrums as students began wondering who the heck I was.

" _Eiko… who is that? And what is she_ wearing?"

" _Hey, I think that's the American commoner!_ "

" _Really? Wow!_ "

" _Wow, she has some guts to wear pants, don't you think?_ "

" _Do you think she's a crossdresser?_ "

" _Weird… I thought all Americans were fat._ "

" _Do you think she can even speak Japanese?_ "

I wet my lower lip and did my best to avoid everyone's eyes, skin crawling with all the attention and feeling as though I'd swallowed my tongue. However, I did sneak a few glances of their uniforms, and I had one thing to say: Gross. I've never been a dressy kind of person, but even though I do like wearing pretty clothes on occasion, I don't think a dress that resembled a banana creme puff would look good on anybody. Thank goodness I couldn't afford it or I'd have to come up with some creative reasoning for my not wearing the dress.

Besides, yellow and white washes out my skin.

I entered the central building and was assaulted by a nearly deafening increase of noise. Everyone was trying to talk over each other, finding their friends after their summer vacation. My own volume dropped through the floorboards.

" _Excuse me. Excuse me, please, I need to get to the office._ "

Some people let me through, a few sneered at me and my choice of attire before ignoring me, but a majority simply couldn't hear me. Not that I could blame them. _I_ could barely hear me. A few minutes of this nonsense I finally was able to move further into the building and spot the office sign. The only problem now was to-

"Kyoya! Mon'Ami!" A blur of blond and blue sped past me, brushing barely a few millimeters from my nose. However, that was still way too close and I was sent spinning to the ground.

"Oof!"

A few students nearby turned to see what the fuss was about and we all watched as the blond boy who had knocked me down tackle-hug a complaining ravenet wearing glasses. I could only assume the two were best friends, even though the black haired boy was trying his best to shove the other off. Despite my sore butt, I smirked. I can name a few friends of mine who had similar counterparts.

A light tap on my shoulder made me turn and look up at the tallest guy I've ever met. He had a straight face and short black hair, but he was also holding out a hand to me. After a moments' hesitation, I took it and he gently helped me to my feet. Despite the expressionless way he looked at me, I felt a bit of a blush appear on my cheeks. He was quite handsome, and clearly nicer than a vast population of this school.

"Takashi, you helped her! Good job!" The tall student made a low humming noise in the back of his throat as a really short blond boy skipped over to the two of us, beaming at me. "Hi, there! I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka, and this is my cousin, Takashi Morinozuka. But you can call us Honey and Mori! What's your name?"

" _Um, Jacklyn Prout. Thanks for helping me up._ " The tall guy, Takashi, nodded while his cousin smiled widely and cuddled his stuffed bunny close. Neither of them seem put off by my shyness.

"No problem! We saw Tama-chan knock you over on accident and wanted to help. You're the new exchange student, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am. I-I kinda need to get to the office, but it's proven more difficult than it looks." I give them a weak chuckle that is cut off short when Mori rests his hand on my shoulder and spins me around. The next thing I know is I'm being escorted through the crowd with ease before coming to a stop right in front of the door. I'm so surprised and touched by their Samaritan-worthy behavior I forget to be nervous for a second.

"Wow...Thanks! Again!"

"It's no problem, Jac-chan! You seem nice, and we like you! Takashi and I need to head over to Tama-chan and Kyo-chan, but good luck with whatever you need here! Bye!"

I waved at the two cousins before opening the office door. The wonderful silence that greeted me nearly brought a tear to my eye. Oh, such glorious silence…

"Excuse me, Miss, but can I help you?"

"Hm?" A respectable looking woman sat behind a desk, staring at me over the thin rim of her glasses. "Oh, yes. I'm Jacklyn Prout, the new exchange student from America? I was told to come in here before the school day started to verify my class schedule?" I wrung my fingers together so tightly the tips went pale as the lady started shuffling through the collection of papers on her desk.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd show up. Here, I have your new class schedule and a map of the school grounds with each of your classroom highlighted for your convenience. Now, as your test scores demonstrate exceptionally high maths and English scores, we've decided to bump you to the 2-A classes regarding those subjects. Your instructors have been made aware of this change and all are excited to meet you."

I took the pieces of paper and smiled at the lady, "Thank you."

She managed a quick smile back, "You should also be made aware that you are required to acquire a school uniform by the end of this week. After the week, you will receive a written warning on the matter and the following process with be explained to you."

"Okay. Thank you for all your help." I quickly bowed and left. _One week? That's all the time I'm given? You've got to be kidding-_

 _Ring! Ring! Ring!_

The clamor in the hallways increased to a roar as students began making their trek to their classrooms. I pressed my back against the wall, waiting for the crowd to thin out. As I did so, I looked down at my class schedule. First hour was Pre-Calculus with class 2-A. I switched myself to the map and traced a route between my current position and the yellow highlighted classroom.

 _Hm. Not too far, at least._ Once the crowd thinned, I joined the throng of students marching the same way I needed to. In front of me, I noticed a really tall blond. Taller than Mori, even! And suddenly, he turned his head.

 _Honey?_ I blinked a bit and hurried closer. When I realized my mistake, I giggled. Honey was just sitting on Mori's shoulders, smiling and giggling above the crowd with his cousin holding securely onto his legs. _He's such a cute little kid… but is he really a high school student?_ Someone docks my right shoulder and I stumble, nearly dropping my schedule and map.

"Watch where you're going, _commoner_."

I stop and stare incredulously at the two snickering girls. _Right. I completely forgot about bullies._ Sighing, I continue to walk, following the memorized route in my head. In front of me, Honey's body still hovers over the crowd. And unless I'm imagining it, girls are swooning as the two boys pass them left and right.

 _They must be hella popular to make the girls act like that. I mean, sure, Honey's super cute and Mori's definitely attractive, but even if they are the school's heartthrobs, you'd think the girls would be more delicate about the whole business…_

My train of thought is cut off as Honey hops down from Mori's shoulders and the two disappear into a classroom. I stop when I realize they just entered the classroom I was headed towards.

 _So, the cousins are in 2-A? Honey's_ older _than I am? Wow… I wonder which one is eldest?_

I suck in a deep breath and walked through the doorway. The classroom is a little bigger than I had expected, but only about ten students were currently milling around. The cousins themselves were settling into two side-by-side desks, Honey chatting a million words a minute while Mori sat, blank faced, and listened.

"Miss Prout?"

"Hm?"

A man who looks to be in his late fifties beckoned me to the front of the room, "So, I hear you aced the mathematics portion of your acceptance test with flying colors."

I smiled at him, "It would appear so, Sir. I look forward to being in this class."

The man nods and sends back a smile as well, which makes mine grow. I've always had a way with people. Despite being a bit shy and introverted, I tend to become friends with people only after a little bit of conversation.

"I'm glad to hear that. You will be sitting near the back of the class, I'm afraid, but it's the only open seat left. Once class starts, I would like you to stand up and greet your fellow classmates before I start the lesson. Also, as you've missed quite a bit of content, I have chosen a few select homework assignments and quizzes for you to take. I will give you a month to finish this folder," he hands over a red folder that thankfully doesn't look too full, "before I being docking late points. Just so you're aware, this class has daily homework and weekly quizzes. You must remain on top of your work if you wish to maintain high grades."

I nod, "Understood, Mr…."

"Oh, forgive my rudeness. You may call me Zenigata-sensei."

"Very well. Could you point me to my seat, please?"

My teacher nodded, "Of course. Second to last row, right in the middle. Please take a textbook from the far left shelf at the back of the room, sign your name in the book's empty spot, and take good care of it until the semester ends."

I bowed, "Thank you very much, Zenigata-sensai."

Turning around, I started to walk to the back of the classroom when, "Jac-chan!" Honey bounced out of his seat and hugged me tightly around the middle, nearly knocking my bag and papers out of my hand.

"Hi, Honey."

"I didn't know you were in class 2-A!"

"Well, technically I'm in class 1-A, but since my grades were so high in my testing, they moved me to class 2-A for maths and English." Honey's eyes… grew flowers? _What the what?_

"That's so cool, Jac-chan! You must be super smart to be able to do that! Isn't she so smart, Takashi?"

"Yeah." _Well, someone's puberty was kind to them._

"Honey, I need to go get my book. Or, wait, do I need to call you Honey-senpai, now?"

He looked at me curiously, "I guess so. And you can call Takashi, Mori-senpai. But can I still call you, Jac-chan?"

"If you want."

"Yay!" He squeezed my middle one last time before letting go and prancing back over to Mori-senpai. I smiled before heading back to the bookshelves. _Well, this will certainly be an interesting year._

*Time Skip*

"Miss Prout, please stand up and introduce yourself to class 1-A."

I pushed my chair back and stood up. Everyone turned in their seats to stare at me walking up the aisle to the front of the classroom. There was the vague feeling of something closing around my throat once again. _One last time,_ I reminded myself, _one last time and I don't have to introduce myself to these people ever again._ I took a stance at the front of the classroom and gave it a sweeping look, trying to find a pair of friendly eyes. Thankfully, I did. It was the blond boy from earlier, the one who accidentally knocked me down. He was smiling at me encouragingly, leaning forwards like he was ready to hang onto my every word. His obvious interest did wonders for my nerves and I managed not to squeak out my introduction.

"Good morning. My name is Jacklyn Prout and I am an exchange student from the United States of America. Please be kind to me as I grow accustomed to Japan's culture. I am excited to learn with you all."

Aburami-sensei gave me an approving nod and I quickly seated myself. The classroom returned its attention to the front of the room, save for one pair of cool grey eyes. It was the other boy I'd seen earlier. The blond's friend. His eyes seemed to be digging into my very soul, in fact I wasn't even sure if he was blinking. For a few more seconds we stared at each other before his glasses flashed and he faced the teacher once again.

A sigh escaped my lips as he looked away, but I soon found my own attention drawn to the handsome boy as Aburami-sensei began her lesson; Japanese history. Thankfully they weren't going to cover World War II for quite some time. Yeah, _that_ would've been a great day for me to show up in class. I listened only half-heartedly, my hand scratching notes into my notebook as I stared at the mystery boy. If I remember correctly… the spastic blond boy sitting in front of him had called him Kyoya, right?

"Mr. Ootori? If you could read paragraph 5 out loud to the class?"

Kyoya gracefully stood from his chair, taking his textbook with him, and started reading aloud in a clear, cool voice. Well, he obviously has a lot more confidence than me. The girls around me sighed in unison, staring at the boy like he was the light of the world. One even fell out of her chair! And why was everyone acting like that was normal?

 _So now there's another heartthrob? This school carts out handsome boys like a factory it seems. I wonder if there are laboratories in a secret basement where they create them? But his name… why does Ootori sound familiar?_

"-Buddhism would later become a permanent part of Japanese culture." I half expected the classroom to start applauding. Instead, the girls let out quiet hums of disappointment as Kyoya sat back down and adjusting his glasses. Aburami-sensei nodded in appreciation at her student before continuing on with her lesson, stemming off from his last sentence.

I tried to remember where I had heard the name 'Ootori' before...

*Time Skip*

 _Ring! Ring! Ring!_

Everyone started talking at once, standing up from their desks and hurrying out of the room. Baisotei-sensei simply watched us with an amused eye before going back to stacking her papers. The relief was nearly visible in the air.

 _I made it through my first day. Hallelujah._ Packing my stuff away, the girls around me began their favorite topic of discussion...

"Hey, are you going to the Host Club tomorrow?"

"Of course! Those twins are so cute! It's a shame they're not in High School yet."

"Oh… _why_ did they have to cancel for a meeting today? I wanted to talk to Mori-senpai…"

"Did you hear the perfect way Kyoya read that passage? He's so dreamy…"

"But not like Tamaki. I wish I had the courage to talk to him in class…"

I did my best not to eavesdrop, but it was hard for me not to. In case you haven't figured it out, I'm a very quiet person. This tends to lead to people talking about everything and anything around me without even realizing their conversations have an extra pair of ears. On a more personal note, they _were_ talking about the only people I knew by name at this school.

 _Wow, they're even more popular than I thought. But_ _what on Earth is a Host Club?_

As I headed out the door, I passed by the blond, Tamaki, who was pestering Kyoya about something. The ravenet didn't seem very concerned as he packed away his papers calmly and orderly, but I did spot a nerve ticking above his left eye. Nearby, a group of three girls were watching the two interact with hearts in their eyes. Tamaki noticed them and blew a kiss their way, which resulted in more than one nosebleed.

I rolled my eyes and left the classroom. _How can they be so calm? It's obvious that all the girls at this school are enamored by them, so how can they focus when they know every person in the room is staring at them? It's almost like the girls following them everywhere are hardly worth a second glance to them. They may flash a smile, or a wink, but the very next moment the girls are invisible to them again._

I strode through the hallways, keeping to myself as I had all day, and looked for a music room. Since I've always been musically talented, a gift from my father's side of the family, listening or creating music always cleared my head in wonderful ways. However, after ten minutes of searching (with the help of my map) I'd only found the classical music club, a choir club, and ballroom-dance club.

But what struck me as odd, was that I'd only discovered rooms 1, 2, and 4… but couldn't find the third room.

"Hm…"

I pulled the school map out of my pocket and scoured the pages. _Why wouldn't they build a third music room? It doesn't make any sense…_ Scowling, I flatten the worn out paper as best as I can on the windowsill to my left. The hallway I was standing in had finally emptied itself of students, giving me the quiet I'd been so deprived of all day. Do rich kids ever shut up?

 _Wait!_ I narrowed my eyes and peered closely and the top left corner of the map. _There it is! Music Room number 3! That's where you've been hiding, you little Houdini!_ Suddenly, another thought occurred to me.

 _But… this map. It says that the music room is…_ I look down the hallway I was standing in. About twenty feet from where I stood was a pair of intricately designed white double doors. Above said doors was a sign.

'Music Room 3'.

I sweatdrop. _Wow, I'm blind._

Tucking the map safely back in my pocket, I lightly jog down the hall and clasp the door handle. Pulling it down, I opened the door and poked my head in. It was empty. Completely abandoned save for…

 _Tea sets?_

Checking behind me to make sure no one else was in the hall, I slipped quietly into the room and shut the doors behind me. It was unlike any music room I had ever seen before. First off, there didn't appear to be anything music related in it at all. The thought of all the musical creativity that must have been pulled out of this room sent a dull ache through my chest.

Call me what you will, but I'm passionate about my music. Bit of a 'Band Geek'.

Instead of the usual music stands and instrument cases, all around me were tables and cushy chairs and love sofas. I couldn't deny that whoever had done the floor planning was a very good interior designer. The different groups of chairs were spaced out just enough to keep any conversation from overlapping too much over another, so long as no one spoke above an inside voice.

Tea sets and flower vases were placed delicately on each table. For a moment, I admired the pretty flowers. Roses, each and every one of them, but there were more colors than the typical red. On four of the tables, the largest ones surrounded by couches, were vases filled with either white, purple, orange & light blue, or pink & dark blue. The smaller tables had red roses only.

It was all very pretty and artfully designed, but I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the instruments. And didn't every music room come equipped with a grand piano or at least _a_ piano? Where had that thing gone, then?

I walked further into the room, a little nervous. T _his room is obviously being used for something, but for what? And by whom?_ That train of thought was cut short by a curtain. Not just any curtain though… this one wasn't anywhere near the towering windows. It was the same yellow color as the girl's uniforms, and looked very out of place. However, since it was at the very back of the room and tucked away in the shadows, you'd never notice it unless you were looking.

And there was a very familiar shadow coming from behind it.

My walk became more like a jog as I hurried over, hardly daring to hope. But hey… it is a music room after all. I pull the curtain to one side and smile. It's a piano. Actually, it's a grand piano. A _beautiful_ grand piano, at that! Stepping to the other side of the curtain and pulling it shut behind me, I couldn't help but admire the instrument for a moment. Its black paint was obviously well taken care of, not a speck of dust to be seen. Either someone really cared for this piano or it was just the janitors.

 _Speaking of janitors, someone's going to come into this room sooner or later, and if I'm not supposed to be here then I should probably get out before they come._ Licking my lips, I consider the different possibilities. It could be that no one's going to care one way or the other if they find me here or not. But, if I'm not supposed to be here, and they find me, I could be putting my scholarship on the line.

 _However_ , I counter in my head, _I can always say I thought this room was open for student use. There wasn't a sign on the door that said keep out or anything._ I sat on the bench and lifted the key cover.

 _And it would be such a shame to not play at least one song on this beautiful piano._

My fingers delicately touched the keys for a second, before I let the music in my head take over.

*3rd person P.O.V.*

"Hey, thanks for waiting up for us, Boss."

"Yeah, we thought you would've started the meeting already."

"Without two of our members? Never!"

Kyoya rolled his eyes at his best friend's reaction. _Overreacting. As always._ He scribbled another entry into his black journal as they walked down the hallway. He was working, as per usual, on the club's expenses. This club was turning out much more expensive than Kyoya had originally planned for. Maybe because he hadn't accounted for a Senpai who loved eating at least three whole cakes per day and a pair of troublemakers who liked 'accidentally' breaking things.

 _God, I didn't think anyone could be more annoying than Tamaki, but it seems as though Mori-senpai and I are the only sane people in this school. Everyone else is either boring, explosive, or… mentally challenged._

Ever the gentleman, even in his thoughts.

Suddenly, a hand was clenching his forearm, "Hey, Kyoya. Can you hear that?"

"Hm?" He looked up and saw Tamaki staring straight ahead down the hallway, a puzzled expression on his face. Kyoya followed the blond's gaze to the club room's doors. The other four hosts slowed to a stop behind the two.

"Boss? What's the hold up?"

"Shh! _Listen!_ "

The group quieted down and listened intently. Soft notes floated through the air. Piano notes. And it was coming from their music room.

"Is that-"

"-Beauty and the Beast?"

"Actually, the song title is 'Tale As Old As Time', but yes, it is from the Disney movie 'Beauty and the Beast'." Oh boy, he hoped none of them asked how he knew that.

Tamaki tightened his grip on Kyoya's left arm, "It's coming from the music room. Let's go see who it is." And while Kyoya would've been just as content to let the piano player be and listen to the song from the hallway, curiosity got the better of him and he followed the others.

As quietly as he could, Tamaki pulled the door open just as the song ended. The six froze, worried for a moment that they had frightened their player into stopping. However, two seconds later a second song started up. And although no words were exchanged, Kyoya recognized it immediately as Billie Joel's 'Piano Man'. Fuyumi had always liked English based songs.

The hosts slipped inside quickly and Mori-senpai shut the door behind them soundlessly. Cautiously, they made their way into the back of the room, where they kept the grand piano covered up. The piano's shadow was where it always was, but this time someone was sitting at it's bench.

The girl, they could now tell it _was_ a girl, a very curvy girl, was gently moving with the song. She swayed ever so slightly, pulsing with the time signature. Her hair swished back and forth, just below the tops of her shoulders. But something looked weird about her clothes...

Now that the hosts were closer, they could faintly hear words being sung, just barely above the notes. English words. Sounded fluent too. Their mystery girl was singing. It was a pretty voice, one Kyoya had heard before. _But where?_ For the life of him, he could not remember.

The six boys listened to the very end of the song. All the way until the four final cords. The girl let out a sigh and leaned back, stretching. _Alright. That was lovely, but now it's time to put a face to the music._

"Who's there?"

*Jacklyn's P.O.V.*

"Who's there?" A very embarrassing squeak comes out of my mouth. I slap a hand over my lips and scramble off the bench. _Oh no. Oh no!_

"I-I was only practicing, I swear! I didn't mean to, well, the door didn't say 'Stay out' or anything! I've done nothing wrong!"

"Well, of course you haven't. The only way you could've done anything wrong was to not play that piano and bring forth your amazing talent." I stop moving. _Um… what? That was a tad unexpected._

"You...uh, thank you."

A third voice joined the mix, one that I recognized, "Hey, you sound a bit like Jac-chan!"

Licking my lips, I inched towards the curtain and pulled the fabric to one side, "Honey-senpai? Is that you?" The second I looked out at my audience, I wish I hadn't. Six boys. Two of my senpai's, two from my grade, and a pair of twins I'd never seen before. But from what I could tell… I was currently standing in front of Ouran High School Academy's top six heartthrobs.

 _Oh boy._

"Jac-chan! It _is_ you!" Honey-senpai jumps off of Mori-senpai's shoulders and wraps his arms around my waist. I smile and hug him back, glad to see people I already knew.

"Hey, who are you?"

"And how do you know Honey-senpai?"

I look up and come face to face with the red-headed twins. Their uniforms were different from all the others I've seen, though. I wonder from what school they came from. But they're looking at me with so much mistrust, I find myself mute. Again.

"Jac-chan is in two of my classes, even though she's technically a 1st year student!"

"Really?"

I nodded.

"Why aren't you talking?"

"We heard you singing a bit before, so we know you can talk."

I can't tell if my head rush is from a massive blush or all the blood leaving my face, but I manage to whisper, " _You heard?_ "

"Uh huh! I didn't know you could sing, Jac-chan!"

" _Well, we did just meet today._ " Feeling a little more confident, I swallow and tilt my head towards the red-heads, "What are your names?"

They look at each other and seem to debate something telepathically before looking back at me, "First, tell us yours."

"Um, okay. My name's Jacklyn Prout. I'm an American exchange student, 1st year."

"I'm Hikaru."

"And I'm Kaoru."

"We're the Hitachiin twins. 3rd year middle school students. **"**

I try for a smile, but stop when I see the mischievous looks on their faces. That's an 'uh-oh' look. Like…a 'we're-about-to-drop-something-down-the-back-of-your-shirt-but-we-can't-decide-between-the-ice-cube-or-the-scorpion' kind of look. I don't especially like that look.

Someone clears their voice and the twins step away from each other so the three other boys can see me. It was Kyoya who had made the noise, and he pushed his glasses further up his nose before smiling widely at me. I blink a few times. _Since when has he ever smiled like that? All I've seen him do all day is frown, smirk, and default to 'resting bitch face'._

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Jacklyn Prout. We haven't formally introduced ourselves." He steps forward and offers me a hand, "Kyoya Ootori, 1st year."

I give his hand a firm handshake, "A pleasure." It's clear the boy is debating something, but I don't get to hear it because I'm quickly spun out of Honey's arms and end up facing a very different blond boy.

"My Princess, it's an honor to meet you, finally. I apologize for taking so long to officially introduce myself; I'm Tamaki Suoh, 1st year student." For a moment, all I can do is stare. His arms are wrapped around my waist, our faces uncomfortably close so all I can really see are his blond bangs and his violet eyes. And while those are cool and all…

" _Tamaki? Could you please let me go?_ " There's a brief pause of sudden silence in the room before the 1st year allows me to pull away. If the stares I'm getting are a tell, I'd have to guess that I just did something surprising/intriguing/worrying. " _What?_ "

"You're the first girl to ever not fall head over heels for the boss's lines."

I raise an eyebrow, "Really? I'm the first? You say that like he says stuff like that to every girl at this school."

"Well, we don't serve every girl, just our clients. However, Tamaki does tend to use his hosting techniques on every girl who walks close enough."

" _...Hosting techniques?_ "

The twins lean against each other looking bored but no less malicious, "Well, duh. We are a host club, after all."

If question marks could appear above my head, I'm positive I would've had at least four floating around, "What's a host club?" I hear something that reminds me of shattering glass, and I jump, quickly turning around to see Tamaki, looking as though he'd been completely drained of all color. A split second later, he's curled up in a ball in the far corner of the room.

"Uh… I'm sorry?"

The twins laugh and come up behind me, "Nice one, Jacklyn-senpai."

"You really got him! That was actually funny!"

"What was funny? What is a host club?"

Now _all_ the boys are looking at me like I'm crazy, "They don't have host clubs in America, Jac-chan?"

"Uh, no."

"Hm. I suppose that explains a few things. Well, Miss Prout, a host club's purpose is to entertain young ladies. We invite the ladies of Ouran Academy to our club after school hours and converse with them."

"All of them? All at once?"

Kyoya readjusted his glasses, causing a glare that hid his brown-grey eyes from the rest of us, "No, not all at once. Our guests set up appointments to speak to a specific host for 15 minutes at a time. They have their pick of either Tamaki, Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai, the twins, or myself, all depending on their type." I nodded. It made sense that the twins would host together, as well as Honey and Mori. But I was still kind of confused.

"But all you do is talk to the girls? I mean, you're all handsome and what not, but even so…"

"Conversing does cover a very broad spectrum of entertainment. Mostly, we divert to varying degrees of flirtation, but a few of our members also bring in guests with their looks or attachment to one another."

I sigh, "Flirting. I suppose that explains why the girls are all over you guys. But, what did you mean by 'type'? Is that, like, what kind of guys they're into?"

"Correct. There's the 'Princely' type, the 'Strong and Silent' type, the 'Boy-Lolita' type, the 'Mischievous' type, and the 'Cool' type."

A smirk curls the right side of my mouth, "Well, I guess it's easy to tell who is which type."

Kyoya's smile shrinks to a smirk of his own, "So, would you like to schedule an appointment? Any of us would love to-"

"No, thank you." Again, it sounded like a baseball had just come sailing through the large windows.

"Jac-chan… you don't want to talk to us?"

"It's not that, it's just being a client of a host club doesn't sound all that appealing to me. Sure, I get to talk to you guys, but then I become one of the hundreds of girls you see every day. Nothing special. If I'm going to make time in my schedule to talk to someone every day, I'd like to do that with friends, not as someone's obligation." I looked down at Honey and pat his head, "I would love to talk to you in class, however! You guys seem like good people."

"Well. Then in that case…"

"Huh?" I turn just in time to be lifted off my feet and tilted back in a dip. _I guess Tamaki's left his corner._

"You have no interest in becoming one of our clients because you'd rather make meaningful friendships with others, and I understand that," he spins me around so my back is pressed to his chest with his face above my right shoulder, "But I don't think you understand. In class we hardly have any real time to converse with interesting women like yourself," now I'm pressed nose to nose with the blond, "So… I've come up with a brilliant idea!"

" _Tamaki_ ," I squeak out, trying to push myself out of his grip. He releases me and I fall on my butt. My eyes shut as a short spark of pain emits from my tailbone. When I open them again, Tamaki's finger is in my face.

"So you can make friends with other girls at Ouran Academy and still have a chance to speak with whichever host you wish to, you will be henceforth known as the Host Club's Personal Musician!"

Silence meets his words. Beads of sweat have appeared on my face. M _usician? Seeing them every day? For hours upon hours after school? PERFORMING IN FRONT OF OTHERS EVERY DAY?!_

"Hey, boss-"

"-why do we suddenly need a musician?"

"We're doing just fine without one."

"Did you not just hear those beautiful songs!? Those wonderful chords!? THAT MAGNIFICENT SINGING VOICE!? She'd provide the best live background musical entertainment around! The girls can request songs from her songbook. She can be introduced to the female population as the talented young girl she is! She'll be famous around all of Ouran Academy!"

I shrink back and crawl away inch by inch, " _Guys…_ "

"Yay! Jac-chan is joining the club! Isn't that great, Takashi!?"

"Mm."

" _Um, can I get a word in?_ "

"You know-"

"-hanging around with a girl who doesn't just want to impress us-"

"-might be fun."

" _C-can I just-_ "

"She may draw in some customers too. Music is naturally calming and knowing there's another female in the room they can speak to should the girls be too nervous about meeting with a host directly might give the shy girls of Ouran a confidence boost."

"W-wait! Don't I get a say in this?" The boys look at me position on the floor, "L-look. I'm flattered by your offer, really, but I need to focus on my studies and-"

"-and purchase a uniform."

I gasp and turn my head to see Kyoya towering over me, "How did you know I needed a uniform?"

"Well, it is required that every student of Ouran Academy wears the official school uniform to attend. You were given until the end of the week to acquire it, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then, I suppose we can come up with a trade. We shall order and provide you with a school uniform, and to pay us back you need to play the piano for our guests. Every day the host club is in session, you will perform three songs at the least, including any requests from the ladies. You shall travel with the host club on any outings we may have and be provided with cosplay on our theme days, but you shall not be considered an official host."

I stare up at the boys surrounding me and think it over. _I won't be a host, but I'll get the benefits, and I don't have to play for them forever. All I need is to pay back the uniform they'll get me._

A deep sigh escapes my lungs, "How long do you expect it would it take me to pay off my debt _should_ I take up your offer?" Kyoya references something in his journal before answering.

"Until the end of the school year."

"Just until the end of my 1st year? Not even a _full_ year?"

"Correct. The moment you become a 2nd year student, your obligation to this club as our musical performer will be fulfilled... unless we are given logical reasons to add upon your debt, such as broken property and such." I couldn't help but think he was using longer words simply in an attempt to intimidate me. Was that why he had stared at me in class today, too?

I nod my head slowly, "That sounds… fair. But I do have one last question."

The boys lean in a bit.

"Do I get my own rose color, too?"

The twins, Honey, and Tamaki let out happy sounds as Kyoya asks, "Which color would you like?"

"Green, please. A small vase of them placed beside the piano, if you would."

* * *

 **Again, not many changes save for grouping the day into one big blob. And for those of you reading this for the first time, I'm glad you're reading this updated version and not my first attempt at this. Let me know if you like it, please?**

 **Read, favorite, follow, or review if you'd like. I enjoy hearing from you all and you do make a difference in how I write and how quickly I update.**

 **See you next chapter!**


	3. September 2nd

**Hey guys. For those of you who are reading this story for the first time, thanks for reading! I enjoy seeing my reader numbers go up with every update, I really do! The best feeling a writer can have is feeling appreciated for their work. For my previous readers, I hope I've fixed this chapter enough that the comfort level goes up a bit.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC or Kyle Landry's piano arrangements. Only Jacklyn.**

* * *

" _Hey, did you hear? The American is now the Host Club's musician!_ "

" _Do you think that's what the meeting was about yesterday?_ "

" _I wonder if she'll be any good._ "

" _Do you think she's taking clients?_ "

" _Do you think anyone will_ want _to be her client?_ "

Just like the day before, as I walk up to the entrance of Ouran Academy the student body whispers rumors and questions about me. I hope eventually it'll die down. I mean, I can't be _that_ interesting that they'll talk about me for the whole school year!

Which, now that I think about it, is a bittersweet kind of thought.

Either way, I ignored the whispers as best as I could and marched up the stone steps. Today I had dressed up in a pair of brown capris, a purple & white striped blouse, and a pair of green & red plaid converse. Maybe not blending in as well as I could have tried, but I don't think it was a bad outfit either. Who am I to tell, though? I'm not exactly a fashion expert.

"Jac-chan!" A blue and blond bullet shot at me as I walked into the 2-A classroom. I let out an 'oof' as Honey knocked me onto my butt, squeezing me tightly around my middle. My hands scrabble along his back, trying in vain to pull him off.

"H-Honey-senpai! C-can't... _breathe!_ "

"Oops!" He released me but continued to sit on my lap with a huge smile, "Sorry, Jac-chan, but you looked so cute I couldn't help myself! Hey, guess what? We have your uniform ready for you! We'll give it to you after the host club closes, though, so you don't have to change out of your cute outfit!"

"Uh… thanks, Honey-senpai. I, um, you're looking cute today, too."

Honey gasped and, if possible, smiled wider, "Thank you so much, Jac-chan!" He hugged me again and nuzzled my collarbone. Someone behind us cleared their throat and I looked up to see we were kind of blocking the walkway. My cheeks flushed a dark red. Awkwardly pulling my body back into a standing position with Honey in my arms, I apologized to the group we'd been blocking and walked over to hand the small blond off to Mori. Honey jumped onto Mori's back with a giggle and I couldn't help but smile at him. He's so cute. _Wait… did he say they had my uniform?_

"Honey-senpai? I have a quick question. How can you guys have my uniform already? You don't have any of my measurements."

"Oh, Kyo-chan got them already!"

It was like Honey had knocked all the air out of me again, "...I'm a little afraid to ask, but how?"

He shrugged, "We're not sure, but Kyo-chan is good at finding the stuff we need. He knows almost everything about everyone!" _Everything? About everyone? Seems both suspicious and terrifying._ My face must have given away how uncomfortable I felt about someone who could find my measurements after only a few hours of knowing about my existence, because Honey bounced back over to me and gave me a quick squeeze around the middle.

"Don't worry, Jac-chan! Kyo-chan would never tell someone about you, or do anything bad with what he knows! Kyo-chan is a good boy!"

Giving the small boy a pat on the head, I pulled away and sat down in my seat. _Okay, so he probably knows a whole lot about me. I guess, if he's not going to do anything_ wrong _with it then it's fine_ … _but I wish I could remember something about him. I swear I remember the name Ootori from somewhere!_

*Time Skip*

A surprise awaited me in my other classroom. Yet another overly enthusiastic blond boy ambushed me at the doorway with a way-too-tight hug. Except this boy was tall enough to sweep me off my feet and spin me around in circles.

"Princess! I've been waiting for what seems like a million years to see your face again!"

"T-Tamaki!?"

"Let's share this glorious day together! We'll have your seat moved next to mine and learn these fascinating subjects side by side!"

"Tamaki!"

"Oh, Jacklyn! You have no idea how wonderful it is to have another friend in class with me! Kyoya will be overjoyed to have you near the two of us!"

"Tamaki, I'm not moving my seat!"

Well, that stopped him. A moment after I spoke I was placed back on my feet and forced to look at a sad puppy dog face. Too bad for Tamaki, I actually had a small dog at home, along with a younger brother, and a few friends who don't do well with acting their age, so I'm an absolute stone cold bitch when it comes to that face.

A few seconds of us staring at each other, another voice rings out in the classroom, "Tamaki, it's obvious Miss Prout is not going to crack any time soon, so you might as well listen to what she has to say and get over it."

Tamaki sort of melts off me, curling into a ball and shivering on the tiled floor. I eyed Kyoya as he continued to write in his black journal. After about fifteen seconds of the boy ignoring my presence, I rolled my eyes and refocused on the blond, "I'm not moving my seat because someone is already sitting next to you. I don't want to kick anyone out of their spot. It wouldn't be fair to them, and since the seat I was already given is perfectly functional it would be pointless to move anywhere else. Besides, I'll probably get a lot more work done without you chatting my ear off all hour."

The blond slowly drains of all his color and stares blankly into space. Heaving a sigh, because this guy is ridiculous, I crouch down and throw his right arm over my shoulder, pulling the boy to his feet. Tamaki is practically boneless, his knees buckling under his weight.

"Are you serious? Come on, shift!" Somehow I managed to force the blond into his seat so no one stepped on him. For a moment, I leaned against his desk. Damn, the boy may be skinny but he's _heavy._

"Miss Prout?" I can honestly say that I'm surprised to see Kyoya actually looking at me rather than his journal.

"Yeah?"

"I would like to speak with you after school today, once we finish with our club activities."

"About what?"

The black haired boy smirked and looked away again, "I don't see how it's important to share that information with you at the moment."

A sneer threatens to twist my face, but I turn away instead and mutter a quick, "Fine," before stalking back to my desk. _Why did I have to get stuck with_ those _two in my grade?_

To my completely unpleasant surprise, the day got only worse from there. For starters, I heard whispers following me in the hallways. My "fellow students" were curious as to why the Host Club was "wasting their time with me" and what the meeting had been about. There were a few scenarios they'd cooked up. Some nice. Most of them... not so nice.

"Hey, Miss Prout?"

A boy tapped my shoulder on the way to lunch. I didn't recognize him, but that doesn't mean much. I'm pretty bad with names and faces. He could sit beside me in class and I probably wouldn't remember his hair color.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me what you're doing as a part of the Host Club? Everyone's really curious, and since the boys and I won't find out about it this evening, would you mind telling us?" Finally. I wonder how long it took for them to realize all they had to do was ask. I hadn't been warned away from telling people, but they seemed to be having a fun time just coming up with rumors by themselves.

"I'm going to be their musician."

"Oh," the guy looked almost... disappointed, "Is that all you're doing?"

"Ah, yes?"

"So… you're not there to cater to boys?"

"No, I'm not. Excuse me." Before he could continue asking embarrassing questions, I quickened my pace all the way to the lunch room. My whole face was red and I kind of felt the need to cry a bit. _I hate all these goddamn rich people, and those Host Club boys are the WORST of them ALL!_

Due to the steady stream of insults to the boys and their attitudes in my head, I was distracted as I walked into the cafeteria. Which lead me to forget how Honey had invited me to sit with him and Mori during lunch in first hour. And forget how some of the girls had been glaring at me throughout the lesson because they'd overheard him.

Which lead to someone tripping me in the cafeteria.

My bento box burst open upon contact with the hard tiles and my lunch spilled everywhere. Before I could even move someone kicked my apple across the floor, probably giving it a nasty bruise and dirt marks, and another person stepped on my wrapped sandwich. Everyone was laughing and I quickly grabbed my chips, water bottle, and bag of grapes before anyone else could attempt to ruin my lunch.

Surprisingly though, Honey and Mori were at my side right afterwards and the laughter died as they gently steered me out of the cafeteria. They lead me to the music room, Honey babbling the whole way about how those kids wouldn't be mean to me after they heard me playing and asking if I was hurt from the fall. I didn't answer verbally. I had just noticed a large brown stain on my shirt. My pudding cup exploded.

Fantastic.

Once the three of us got into the music room, the boys handed me… a uniform, "Here, Jac-chan! At least you have something to change into, right?" I nodded mutely and slipped into the changing room. A few angry and embarrassed tears leaked from my eyes as I peeled the dirty clothes off and slipped into the yellow dress.

I peeked at the mirror and cried a little louder. I looked like a banana creme puff. Add in my red and puffy eyes and my messy hair from the fall, I looked like a prom date who had been dumped for someone that hadn't been stupid enough to wear a pale yellow dress. My stomach twisted up into knots.

After a few moments of self loathing, I wiped my eyes and fixing my hair as best as I could. Maybe Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai knew a few tricks to make me look not as... this? I walked out of the changing room and saw Honey and Mori still waiting for me, which was a surprise. An even bigger surprise was when Honey gasped and gave me a tight hug, exclaiming about how 'adorable' I looked and that the dress looked 'so cute' on me.

The boys invited me to eat with them still, because with them around me the rude students probably wouldn't try that stunt again, but I turned them down, saying I'd rather stay in a classroom and work on my homework. Still, when we went our separate ways, I felt a little better than I had a few moments ago.

The nice feeling soon vanished when a girl loudly declared, "Wow, looks who's just _now_ trying to fit in!"

So, in a word, I was having the crappiest day of my life by the time I arrived at Music Room #3 for Host Club activities. I shuffled in without a word and silently sat at the grand piano, which had been moved from its original place in the back of the room to the middle. My fingers caressed the ivory keys in an attempt to bring my heart rate down.

"Miss Prout?" I turned wordlessly and stared at Kyoya, letting him know he had my attention.

"Have you prepared your three songs for the day?" I nod. "Good. I would suggest you play at 3:15, 3:55, and 4:35. Please do not make us regret this decision." My fists clenched on top of the keys and I turned away, doing my best to not scream at anyone.

"Alright men, get into position! Our guests will be arriving soon! Jacklyn, come over here!" I let out a little gasp and looked at Tamaki. He was smiling and patting his armchair, "You can sit on the left arm of this chair! I think you'd look adorable in that position!"

" _Uh…_ "

"Hey, Boss, do you think that's a good idea?"

"I mean, most of the girls hate her. If they saw her posing with us they might just turn around and leave."

Tamaki practically knocks over his chair as he starts chasing the twins around, "How dare you say that about Jacklyn! Sure, some of the girls don't know how incredible she is but that doesn't mean I'm going to shun her for it! Apologize right now!"

" _Tamaki… it's okay._ " The blond stops shaking the twins by their uniforms and looks at me in complete surprise. " _I'll just sit at the piano bench today. Just in case, alright?_ " Tamaki frowns and released the twins. He looked… a little hurt. _Crap. I hurt his feelings. Way to go._ I turned back to the piano when someone snapped their fingers.

"Mori-senpai?"

The next thing I knew someone had me in their arms and I was being carried towards the other boys. The sudden movement startled me so much I couldn't even speak. Mori put me back down on my feet, directly in front of Tamaki's chair.

Tamaki sat down and patted the arm rest, "Come on, sit."

Knowing I wasn't going to get out of this, I rolled my eyes and sat on the armrest, crossing my ankles with my hands in my lap, "I'm only doing this because I owe you. Don't get mad at me if this backfires."

The doors open before the boys can respond. A large group of girls enters, puppy love etched on their faces. I suppose it was a pretty fantastic sight for them; six extremely handsome men who were waiting for them just to spend time with each of the girls. I did my best to smile despite the mounting fear and pressure of performing in front of these expectant girls as the boys welcomed them in unison.

And, as one, all the girls let out high pitched screams and rushed Kyoya who stepped off to the side. I was surprised. It was like I wasn't even there.

 _Well, maybe that's a good thing._

As the hosts parted ways to sit by their first customers of the day, I snuck off to the piano bench. I passed Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai on my way, and one of their guests sneered in my general direction before turning back to her hosts.

"Excuse me, Honey? But won't the piano be too loud for us to have a conversation? I don't want the American to cover up your funny jokes!"

Honey's smile dipped a bit, "Jac-chan said she wouldn't chose very loud songs just for that reason. Don't worry, Jac-chan knows what she's doing." I felt a surge of gratitude for the small boy and smiled a bit. At least the boys are on my side. Or... a few of them are.

After what seemed like an endless walk, I slid back onto the piano bench. My bag was where I had left it and I rifled through a few pieces I had stuck in there this morning. Most of the pieces were written by Kyle Landry, a pianist I had discovered on YouTube four years back. He wrote some pretty intricate stuff, but I mostly liked his Disney pieces. My brother's not as much of a fan because of all the extra variations he adds to the songs, but I like the extravagance mixed in with the familiar songs. They had been a little difficult to learn, but once I did I never wanted to stop playing them.

 _What should I play first?_ I flipped through the five pieces I had brought. Perhaps I should start with a shorter song first instead of an 8 minute one. A smile twitched on my lips as I stopped at one of my top favorites. 'Once upon a December' from the movie 'Anastasia'.

I arranged the papers on the stand and took a deep breath, then looked out to the rest of the room. A few people were glancing towards me, mostly girls with narrowed eyes, but Tamaki was also sneaking me glances. He smiled and gave me a small nod. My heart thudded loudly in my chest, pulse climbing as I turned back to the keys. My fingers shook as did my following deep breath.

 _You know this piece well, Jacklyn. You'd played it a million times. You can do it._

I press on the left pedal and press down on the keys. The soft beginning rhythm draws more attention from the guests, though a few now look merely curious. I release the dampening pedal and let the notes grow a tad louder, letting the music reach the rest of the guests. It's still soft enough to float below the volume of conversation, but I notice a few girls gently moving to the pulse of the song.

After that, I let myself get lost in the music. The peaceful music is exactly what I needed after the day I'd had. Notes hum in my throat as the lyrics echo in my head. When was the last time I actually sat down and watched a Classic Disney movie? It seemed like forever ago…

 _Oops!_ I quickly brought the volume down. While I had been lost in my thoughts, I'd accidently let the song grow louder. I don't think it drowned anyone out, but you can't be too careful when dealing with this damn club. As the notes grew soft once more, I heard the shuffling of fabric behind me. Not wanting to take my eyes off the music in front of me, I didn't risk a glance. Instead, I continued on with my piece, hoping that whoever was behind me was enjoying it.

My fingers flew over the keys, adding scales with the actual song, making it feel as if the music was curling around itself. This is why I love music so much. I'm painting on silence, much like an artist would paint on a canvas. The sound wound around me, pulsing through my chest, pushing every bad thing that had happened as far away as possible. It was heaven.

Three minutes flew by quickly. Soon I was repeating the beginning rhythm once more before letting the final chord echo into silence. A deep sigh escaped my lips and my posture relaxed. _Music. Exactly what the doctor ordered._

"Um, excuse us." The sudden words made me jump a little before I turned around. Behind me stood three guests I'd never seen before. A brunette and two blondes. They looked a little nervous, but there were smiles on their faces.

"Ah, hello."

The three of them shuffled their feet before the brunette in the middle spoke again, "We just… well we wanted to tell you how beautiful that piece was. What was the title?"

I blinked, "Oh. That was 'Once Upon A December' from the movie 'Anastasia', rearranged by Kyle Landry. It's not the original…"

One of the blonde girls spoke up this time, "Could you possibly play more Kyle Landry songs in the future? I'd love to hear more…" Her two friend nodded in unison, their eyes shining as they did so.

 _They really liked it?_ I felt a smile spread across my face. Words failed me at the moment, so I just nodded, perhaps a little frantically. "O-of course! He's one of my favorite arrangers, so it's no trouble whatsoever!"

The girls smiled back at me, "It's so nice of you to play for us! You're probably so busy adjusting to our school, so it's great that you still want to entertain us!"

"Yeah, I know I wouldn't be able to handle being the host club's musician! And you do it so well!"

"Could we request a couch to sit near you tomorrow? So we can hear the music better?"

"Well, unfortunately, I'm not in charge of the seating arrangement, but you could ask either Tamaki or Kyoya. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

The three girls brightened and bounded away, calling out Tamaki's name. As the president spoke with his three guests, I turned back to the piano and started putting away the music, preparing for my next piece in about 35 minutes. Just enough time for me to start on my math homework.

"Jac~chan~!" As I finished putting my sheet music away, something landed on my back and sent my sprawling on the floor.

" _Ow…_ "

"Oh, sorry, Jac-chan! I didn't mean to knock you over."

" _It's alright. Can you let me up, now?_ " Honey climbed off my back and I rolled over, propping myself up onto my elbows. Bringing my right hand up to rub at my stinging chin, I eyed the short blond boy. He was watching me with a pouty lip and watery eyes. He looked so sad and pitiful, I couldn't find it in my heart to stay mad at him.

"Hey, really, it's okay, I was just off balance. So, what can I do for you, Honey-senpai?"

"Oh, I just wanted to know when you were going to play again!"

"3:55. I was going to work on some of my homework between then and now so-"

"Why don't you come sit with me and Takashi? That way if you need any help, we'll be right there!"

I blanch, "Uh… maybe next time, Honey-senpai. I work better when it's quiet around me. Okay?" And the poor kid freaking looks at me like I just stepped on his birthday gift.

"Oh… okay."

I suck my lower lip in between my teeth and bite down lightly before calling out, "Tomorrow. I'll sit with you guys tomorrow."

"Okay! Takashi, Jac-chan is going to sit with us tomorrow!" _Well that cheered him up quick._ Blushing at the number of eyes now trained on me, I quickly stood up and went back to arranging my work space. My next piece was nine minutes long… but I think the girls would like it.

For the next half an hour, I brought my legs up onto the piano bench and worked on my math homework. It was all relatively easy stuff, mostly continuing what I had been learning back at my old school. I wonder how things are going back home.

"Miss Prout? Have you checked the time recently?"

"Mm?" At Kyoya's prompting, I took a glance at the clock hanging up on the far wall. 3:54. Whoops. Quickly, with just the hint of an embarrassed blush, I moved my math book onto the floor and straightened my dress skirt.

"Thank you." I turned around, but he was already gone. The boys were speaking with brand new guests. None of them had heard my playing yet. It was like playing for the first time all over again. Hopefully, this song will work just as well.

 _Okay, Jackie. Same as last time. Deep breath… and… play._

Soft notes once again floated in the air. It was a sad kind of song, one that made you wonder if there was a deeper meaning to it just below the surface, something you couldn't quite understand just yet. Much like the movie of the soundtrack this had been arranged from.

Interstellar had pretty much screwed around with my mind when I first watched it. I hadn't exactly enjoyed it, but I hadn't hated it either. I just felt like the ending left you hanging a bit, and there were a lot of times I felt completely lost. But mostly, the movie just made me feel sad. These kinds of thoughts were what were floating through my head for the next nine minutes, keeping me focused on the task at hand.

Finally, 4:03 rolled around like a gift from the universe and my aching fingers slowed to a stop before lifting off the keys. There was the sound of applause from a few spots around the room, and I turned to give them all a smile. However, I faltered when I noticed a girl peeking in from the doors. She was staring at… me.

My head tilted to the right side before I beckoned her in. She slid through the narrow opening she had given herself and scurried over to the piano, glancing around the room with a bit of a blush.

" _S-sorry for interrupting you._ "

"Oh, you weren't interrupting. I don't have to play again for another half an hour. What were you doing at the door?"

" _I, uh, I was just walking by when I heard you playing, and I just wanted to see who it was. I recognized the music… that was from Interstellar, right?_ "

"Yes it was. I'm glad you liked it. But, do you mean you're not a client of the host club?"

" _M-me? Oh, no. I'm much too shy to talk to these boys without stuttering. Besides, they'd probably find me really boring._ "

I let out a small laugh. Finally, I found someone like myself. "Well, I don't find you boring. Why don't you come in and talk with me every day? I wouldn't mind the company. And this way, you can ogle at the boys without having to talk to them."

The girl's face grew red, but I noticed her hiding a sheepish grin behind her hands, " _Thank you. I will. It was nice talking to you, Ms…_ "

"Call me Jacklyn."

" _Okay. You can call me Nachi._ "

"Alright, Nachi! I'll see you tomorrow!"

" _Okay!_ "

The soft spoken girl turns and walks back out of the room, giving me a wave before leaving. As the double door's boom softly echoes throughout the room, I find myself in someone's arms, being spun around fast enough to make the world look like a blur. I don't even have to wait for someone to speak before I know who it is.

"Tamaki! Put me down!"

"Oh~! Our sweet Jacklyn has her first customer! I may cry!" Rolling my eyes, I decided that, for this one time, I'll let him twirl me around until someone else chews him out. Being praised for just being nice feels kind of good, actually.

"Tamaki, please set Miss Prout down and go back to attending your clients." He does, though he still has a huge smile on his face and he hurries over to tell the ladies about my new "achievement". I chuckle and shake my head, he's such a dork. Maybe he wouldn't be too hard to hang out with every once in awhile.

"And Miss Prout, please refrain from distracting the other hosts from their duties from now on." Instantly, my good mood shrunk and my face fell to a flat look. Maybe it's a good thing I can't remember where I've heard his last name. So far Kyoya has given me no incentive to get to know him better. Not even bothering to acknowledge the boy, I sat back down at the piano bench and pulled out my English homework. I got through it quickly, considering the class is completely based on my native language.

The next half an hour passed by without incident, and by keeping my eye on the clock I didn't have Kyoya breathing down my neck as 4:35 neared. I already knew which song to play next, so I didn't have to search through my sheet music for long before I had 'Beauty and the Beast' perched on the piano stand. Rolling my shoulders back, I perched my fingers on the keys.

"Oh, look. The _mutt_ is going to entertain us." My whole body jolted with the amount of venom the voice carried and the snickers that followed. I was too scared to turn around, let alone play my music. _Mutt? A mutt?_

"Miss Prout? Are you quite alright? The guests are waiting." _Waiting for me to fail._ My breath shook. A few stifled laughs sounded from behind me. Probably from the same girl and her loser friends. My internal comeback snapped me out of my funk. _Why do I care about what they call me? I've got plenty of names for them too. Trust fund babies. Egotistical jerks._ My back straightened as I positioned myself. _Snobs._

With a probably evil looking smirk on my face, I was off.

As the intro started up, I noted an increase in volume, most likely in an attempt to drown me out. Letting them think they were going to beat me, I waited for a full minute before letting the song increase in volume, capturing everyone's attention. The decrease in noise was almost startling.

It was pretty clear that the song was familiar to some of the girls. Softly sung lyrics wove in time with the piano notes. Unfortunately, this particular song was only three and a half minutes long, but to my great surprise… it was long enough for the girls to give me a polite applause before going back to their conversations.

My fingers were almost stuck to the keys. _I did it. My first day...done. And no one threw things at me!_ Actually smiling, I starting packing away my things. Maybe I'd be allowed to leave early?

"Another day of hosting draws to a close! Thank you for spending your time with us ladies!"

"We'll see you tomorrow!"

 _Oh. Never mind then._ As the guests filed out of the music room, bidding their goodbyes, I sped up my packing. The chords from 'Beauty and the Beast' still echoed in my head as I finished closing up my bag. It wasn't until I straightened up to pull the cover over the keys that the shadow caught my attention. It's Tamaki. And he's...quiet for a change. That alone is enough to make me nervous.

"Tamaki? Are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh, yes."

"Okay. Do you...need something from me?"

"No, not at all, it's just… I've never really met someone who loves playing the piano as much as I do."

I blink, my eyes growing wide, "You play?"

"Yeah," he says with a bit of a laugh, "I learned when I was a kid. I played a lot for my mother, because she was pretty sick during my childhood and she liked to hear the piano."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear about your mom, but it's cool you can play!"

"Really? Do you think we can play something together sometime?"

Some more blinking, but a smile spread across my face all the same, "Uh, sure. I'm sure I can think of something-"

"Miss Prout? Could I speak with you now?"

"Uh…" I double checked my things, found nothing out of order, then gave Kyoya a nod, "Sure."

The black haired boy turned and walked towards a doorway on the side on the room, opposite of the windows, indicating that I should follow. Tamaki gave me a reassuring smile before walking back to his own couch, so I was left with nothing to do but to follow Kyoya. Which I did, along with some shivering. I don't know what it is… but something about that boy was familiar and it was driving me mad not knowing _what_.

I walked all the way to the back of the room and through another door I had seen Kyoya slip through a few moments ago. On the other side was a room filled with cabinets. _Maybe this is where they store the cakes and tea? I mean, they have to keep it somewhere, right?_ Letting the door fall shut behind me, I refocus on the ravenet in front of me. Kyoya is still scribbling in his journal, bringing back the question of what he might write in there.

"Your name is very familiar, Miss Prout."

My mouth doesn't work at first, "O-oh. Really?"

"Yes." He gazes at me over the lip of his journal, "Is my own name not familiar to you as well?"

"Uh… well, I'm sure I've heard the name Ootori from somewhere before. I just can't remember from where."

"Hm." My classmate suddenly flipped three pages in his journal and pressed a finger to the page, "Jacklyn Cassandra Prout. Born in Traverse City, Michigan, United States to Will and Cindy Prout. You've moved around the state five times in your lifetime and would have been a resident of Ferndale, Michigan for six years as of next December had your family not sent you to Japan for your studies."

My right foot shifted backwards as my heart rate jumped. _Stalker, much?_ But he wasn't done yet.

"Your father, Will Prout, is the director of Foods and Nutritional Services at the Henry Ford Kingswood Hospital in Ferndale. He has been receiving annual promotions since his third year working there and is now the overseer for hospital's laundry as well." Kyoya spared me a glance, "Incidentally, the hospital your father works for is owned by _my_ family, the Ootori company."

" _Oh…_ " So _that's_ where I remember his name from! His last name, Ootori, is practically etched into every brick and bolt of that hospital. Heck I've passed by the wall of plaques that had Ootori written all over it for the past six years! How could I have forgotten it?

"But… why were you staring at me in class?"

"You mentioned a moment ago that my name sounded familiar to you? So did yours to me. Your father is a very well sought-out employee. I'm sure you are aware of the extensive list of hospitals who have asked for your father's employment?"

I nodded.

"Did he ever mention the fact that my father _personally_ asked for your father to consider working at the Ootori hospital in Tokyo?" I blinked and shook my head. My dad had only ever spoken about the job offers around the United States, but none out of country. I wonder why…

"Well, as it's probably clear to you now, he declined. With the utmost respect. In fact, my father greatly respects your father for his decision to stay behind and work to build up the hospital he was already stationed in. Not many men would voluntarily stay in a lower ranking job in order to not inconvenience their other employees." At this, I smiled. Yeah… that sounds like my dad.

Kyoya snapped his journal shut and stared at me, "So, now that we're both aware of how our families fit together, perhaps we should revisit your _terms and conditions_."

My smile disappeared.

"When you are not playing the piano, you will also act as our waitress. When a host runs out of tea or needs to replace a tea set before their next guests arrive, you will be the one to replace them. If you are late in arriving to the club room or in performing, your debt will be added to. 100 yen for every minute you are tardy. Any cosplay or prop you damage will be paid out of your own pocket. And, if you attempt to alert anyone else to this conversation, your father's job will not be as… stable as you thought it was."

And with that, he was gone.

I take a few shaky steps backwards until I'm pressed up against the wall. Sliding down, I just tremble alone in silence. Even the lights shutting off doesn't affect me. Tears make my vision blurry, shifting my contacts from their previous position. _He_ threatened _me! He just threatened my family! Who does he think he is?_

I sniffle once and bury my face into my knees, " _I… I_ hate _you… Kyoya Ootori. I hate you._ "

*No One's P.O.V.*

As the poor girl sat crying silently in the dark room, she remained blissfully unaware of a certain tall male leaning against the wall just beside the door. His face was twisted in a way that spoke of confusion and uncertainty. He glanced at the dark doorway one final time before silently walking away, frowning slightly.

* * *

 **Whelp, I did only say I'd change my story _slightly._ Which means, as of this moment, Kyoya is still a dick to Jacklyn. He'll come around though, don't worry, and I had to because it's a part of my whole plot. Sorry if you hate having Kyoya play the villain in Fanfiction stories (I know I do) but this is only a temporary situation. It's not as bad as it seems.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading. If you like the story, please follow, favorite, or even leave a little review. I'd very much appreciate it.**

 **See you next chapter!**


	4. September 3rd

**Hi everyone. Just to clarify with you all, Kyoya won't be the 'villain' of the story, I _promise._**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club or any of Kyle Landry's piano arrangements, but I do own Jacklyn Prout.**

* * *

*Jacklyn's P.O.V*

Class 2-A was completely silent, save for a few small noises. Pencils scratched away at paper. Desks groaning whenever someone shifted in their seat. A clock ticked softly above the doorway. At the front of the room, a teacher stood with his arms behind his back, eyeing each student with a soft gaze. Behind him on the board were three math problems waiting to be solved.

I sat still at my desk, staring down at my notebook that was already filled with markings and three circled answers at the bottom. The problems had been surprisingly easy to solve; so easy in fact that for a second after I'd finished I wondered if I had gotten them all wrong. But when Zenigata-sensei noticed I was finished about ten minutes before our "time limit" for the problems was over, he simply walked over, read my paper, and gave me a warm smile and an approving nod. A few other students had noticed and looked at me in shock before going back to their own work.

I should've felt proud.

Instead, there's a sickening twist in my gut as my mind was no longer preoccupied by the glory of Pre-Calculus math. Clenching and unclenching my hands, I threw my eyes around the room in search of something to preoccupy myself. Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai sat a few rows in front of me, diligently scribbling down the answers to the problems on the board, and my eyes locked on to the back of their heads. I remembered the promise I had made yesterday to sit and talk with them later during club activities today. Wonder how _that_ was going to work out.

But, of course, now I was thinking about the Host Club and-

 _Nope. Nopity nope, nope, no, not going there._

With a sigh, I closed my eyes and pressed the heel of my palms against them, trying to force my mind away from the less pleasant images attempting to surface.

 _Why did he even feel the need to threaten me? What did I ever do to him?_

As a last ditch attempt to push those questions out of my head, I lean back over my notebook and begin sketching a random design. Unfortunately it doesn't work. Sorry, but threatening doesn't happen to me very often, so Kyoya's words had really dug themselves deep into my brain. Maybe I wouldn't stay at Ouran for another two years... Perhaps Mom was right. Maybe I should go home after this year. These kids were _cruel_.

"Your time is up. Could I have a volunteer to come up and solve our first problem on the board?"

A few hands went up, but I saw Zenigata-sensai staring directly at me. I gave him a small shake of the head before breaking our eye contact and staring at my desk. Four seconds later, he called up another girl who gladly bounced up to the front of the room and began working out the answer. This process repeated itself for the following two problems. Zenigata-senpai would _obviously_ want me to go up and answer the problem, I'd refuse, and then a different student would be picked. I didn't like disappointing my teacher, but I knew that if I stood up in front of the classroom I'd start shaking and my numbers wouldn't even be legible.

For the next half an hour, I managed to keep my mind focused solely on math, but all too soon Zenigata-sensai was packing up his bags, about to rotate with another teacher. Which meant I had to go to the 1-A classroom. _Aw hell._ Slowly, I shoved my books back into my bag and stood up, following my teacher out the door. Honey-senpai waved at me as I left, and I returned it halfheartedly.

The walk to the 1st year building felt even longer than it did yesterday. Of course, yesterday I wasn't suffering from a near panic attack at the prospect of class. As I grew closer to my destination, a lump of bile seemed to lodge itself in my throat. _Is he going to try to embarrass me in class? Or is he going to ignore me again because Tamaki is nearby? If that's the case, then I'm going to stick to Tamaki like glue._

As soon as I decided that Tamaki was going to be my new best friend, I broke out of my daydream to find myself at the doorway. It looked a little too big to be normal. _Was it that big yesterday? Did Kyoya have it switched out just to intimidate me?_ I blinked again and let out a sigh, _Now you're just being crazy, Jacklyn. Just grit your teeth and get in there. Your grade depends on it, you know._

I licked my lips and pushed the door open, my eyes glued to the ground as I maneuvered my way through a few rows of desks to my spot in the back of the classroom. No one spoke to me as I sat down and pulled out my textbook, for which I was glad. My nerves were so shot at the moment if someone simply stepped in my direction I may scream.

"Prout-san?"

"Ah!" The sudden voice made me jump, as well as startle the girl who had spoken in the first place. My chest heaved as the girl apologized profusely for startling me. It took me a moment to calm down enough to speak.

"N-no, it's not your fault. I'm just a little tense right now. Sorry for scaring you."

The brunette relaxed quickly and smiled, "Okay, then! I was just wondering when you'd be talking to Mori and Honey today. I want to schedule my appointment then too so I can hear about your life in America!"

I blinked, "You want to hear about my life?"

"Yeah! I'm really interested!"

"Um... well I figured it would be right after my first song of the day. Somewhere around the 3:20 shift."

"Great! Well, see you then, Prout-san!"

I watched the bundle of excited energy prance away to her small group of friends, more than a little shocked at the sudden shift of feelings towards me. Did they not still hate me? The only person who had spoken to me in class before was Tamaki, so having a girl-

Wait.

Why _didn't_ Tamaki come greet me today?

I almost turned my head to look at him, but then I recalled who sat behind him in class. And after that little 'warning' he had given me the day before, the last thing I wanted right now was to see that _git_.

 _But what if Tamaki didn't greet me because he's too busy asking Kyoya what had happened yesterday? What if Kyoya thinks I told Tamaki something?! Oh no!_

Before I could continue to freak out, the Geography teacher, Akiyama-sensei, walked into the classroom, "Alright everyone, please find your seats. Thank you. As I come around to collect your homework from yesterday, please turn your textbooks to page 56." I was completely out of it as my homework was collected and I opened my class textbook, growing increasingly worried about Tamaki's lack of enthusiasm today.

Well, there's only one way to find out.

Slowly inhaling, I steeled my nerve... and glanced at the host club boys out of the corner of my eye. Neither of them were looking in my direction so the glance quickly grew into a stare. My lips parted a bit and my eyes widened in surprise because Kyoya, in a word, looked... _ill_. Like, the boy looked legitimately sick. His face had lost a fair amount of its color from yesterday and he didn't even seem to realize that class had already started. His eyes were glued to his desk and it looked like his jaw was clenched as the teacher gently pulled his homework from off his desk. No reaction. All in all, he looked like he was either going to be sick or pass out right out of his chair.

My lips quirked up into a smirk, _Hey, maybe it's karma sticking up for me. That would be nice._ Instantly after the thought crossed my mind, I felt bad. Like there was something dirty in my brain. My smirk vanished before twisting into a scowl instead, _damn me for wanting to be nice all the time. He's a jerk and doesn't deserve any of my respect or pity._

As for Tamaki, it was pretty clear he was worried about his friend's behavior. He was hovering over his friend, a worried expression pulling his eyebrows closer and making his lips seem thin. When it was clear that Kyoya didn't want to move, the blond opened Kyoya's textbook for him and flipped to the right page before setting it back onto his desk. Kyoya didn't even acknowledge any gratitude towards his friend as far as I could tell. Tamaki frowned and nibbled on his lower lip, but he still turned to face the front as Akiyama-sensei began the lesson. I did too, only now I was curious as to why Kyoya looked like crap. He had seemed perfectly healthy yesterday. Maybe he caught a cold from someone in his family?

 _Either way, as long as it means he won't have the energy to make my life a living hell, then I'll take it._

I did my best to not feel guilty at that thought.

*Time Skip*

Kyoya remained completely out of it for the rest of the day. Even though I've only been at this school for three days, I could tell that something was off about him. And so could everyone else. All day I've noticed other students sneaking glances at the raven haired boy, and even the teachers were not calling on him to answer questions. He kept his gaze down, trained onto his desk. I don't think he even ate much during lunch.

Even so, I did my best to stay out of his way. No use trying to antagonize him in case he blames me for whatever this is. I shuddered. _I hope not. I don't need this._

Thankfully, Kyoya also seemed to be avoiding me. Not once glance was spared in my direction. Even when the Host Club started, he made no move in my direction. Not even when Tamaki pulled me onto the arm of his chair once again. The girls, on the other hand, seemed to be looking at me a lot more than they had yesterday. After we greeted them all and I was heading off to the piano, a few of the clients smiled happily at me and one of them even _waved_.

 _Wow, if someone waving at me becomes the nicest gesture I receive at this school, then I should just buy a ticket home next April now._

To say the least, my thoughts were a little sour when I sat down at the piano. Only now there was also a couch set behind the piano bench. _I don't think I remember that being there yesterday. What's going on?_ I was answered as soon as I finished selecting my first piece of the day.

"Jacklyn-senpai!" I turned around and saw the same three girls from yesterday quickly walking over to me, "Tamaki said that he had this couch moved over so we could listen and talk to you! Isn't that great?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's great! Wow, I wasn't sure if you girls were serious about that!"

The girls giggled and sat down on the couch quickly, looking at the piano music I was holding eagerly, "What's the song for today?"

"Is it more Kyle Landry?"

"Yes. Uh, I decided to play Let It Go from Frozen. Is that alright?"

The three nodded happily and scooted forward in their seats. My lips twitched in amusement before I put the papers up on the stand. The key cover made a soft ' _thunk_ ' as I moved it off, and instantly the volume of the room dropped. My head jerked around to see if something had happened, only to find that about 75% of everyone's eyes were on me.

I swallowed and turned back towards the piano. _Why does today feel even more nerve wracking than yesterday? At least I know they like what I play…_

 _Yeah, but now I have to keep up to their standards._

My lips pressed themselves together, _Oh. Right._

With a sigh, I perched my fingers up on the keys, hovered for a moment, then started the very familiar opening to the song. From behind me, the other girls who were sitting let out quiet gasps as they recognized the piece instantly. Some other conversations tickled at my ears, but I tuned them out as my piece became more fun. A full blown grin was on my lips a minute in. My head lolled around in sync with the melody, my body pulsing along to the beat. And yet, I kept the volume down, never overpowering any voice behind me.

The moment the short piece ended, I was applauded, especially by my three clients. A quick bow later, I found myself with three guests that I had no idea what to do with. _What now? Do I just… host?_

"Jac-chan! Come sit with us! You promised, remember!"

My mouth opened, but one of the blonde girls who had sat by me responded instead, "Ooo! Prout-san, are you going to be answering questions? Can we join you?"

"I'd love that!"

"Me too!"

"Can I ask a few?"

Less than a minute later I found myself seated upon a cushiony couch between Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai with nearly a dozen extra eyes on me. _How did I get here?_

"So, Jacklyn-senpai, what's your family like?"

It took me a second to realize that the question had been directed at me, so I try to squeeze the answer past the newly formed lump in my throat, " _Oh, um… well, there's me, my mom, my dad, and my younger brother, Alec. Uh… I've been told that I look like my mom, but I've also been told I look like my dad as well. I'm the only one who has brown eyes, the others have hazel, and I have my parent's brown hair. Alec got black hair. That's… sort of it._ "

"Do you guys do anything together? Trips and the like?"

"Well, we used to go camping every summer, but we recently sold our camper. As for doing stuff together, we make homemade pizza every Saturday and watch a movie together. Oh, and since Alec and I were both in the marching band like our dad was, all four of us are pretty active in the program."

"Marching band?" The girls leaned in a bit, "What instrument did you play? Was it the piano?"

A soft chuckle escapes me, "Not even remotely. I played the flute in concert band class, but in marching band I was a part of the color guard. It was a lot of fun."

"Oh, oh, Jac-chan! I've got a question!" Honey-senpai started bouncing in his seat, making me laugh out of instinct.

"Go ahead!"

"Why did you come to Japan?"

I smiled a little wider, I had been expecting this question, "Well… I've always had an interest in Japanese culture, cuisine, and history ever since a friend of mine came here. I even took a few Japanese courses at the local college to learn the language. On a whim, I started looking at schools in Japan that were accepting exchange students. I had a few discussions with my school's principal, and he somehow arranged to have a few schools from Japan open their doors to three students from our school to try for scholarships. Of course, it was only for students who could speak the language, which is why there were only three of us, but we were all offered a chance to earn a three year scholarship to Ouran Academy."

I smiled sheepishly, "I was the only one who aced the entrance exam. After that, I finished my 9th grade year, packed my bags… and came here. Saying my goodbyes was a little tough, considering I'll be gone for three years, but I'm glad I came anyways." _Though if things continue on the way they have, I might be leaving just a bit sooner…_

"Jacklyn-senpai… did you have a boyfriend back in America? Is that why the goodbyes were so hard?"

I could feel my face heat up at the question, "Er, no. I've never had a boyfriend before."

"Girlfriend?"

My face grew hotter, "No. Not one of those either. I have been single my whole life."

Instantly, the guests were in an uproar, "Do you think you'll find someone while you're here?"

"Oh, how romantic!"

"WHAT IF IT'S A HOST?!"

"IT WOULD BE LIKE FATE!"

"Woah! Woah! Woah!" I waved my hands frantically in front of my face, positive that my entire face was now as bright as the red roses displayed around the room, "It's not like that! I'm not here to begin a relationship with _anybody_ in this school, and I certainly don't plan too. I'd like to simply focus on my studies, get into a good college, and then _maybe_ start dating. And no offense… but I simply can't see myself _dating_ any of these boys."

The girls began giggling among themselves, "Oh?"

"And why's that?"

 _This is getting out of hand. I don't think the boys would like me talking about this…_ "Well… I just can't see it."

"What about you and Mori-senpai?"

"You're both quiet and kind." Against my will, my eyes flicked up to Mori. He wasn't looking in my direction, but I could tell by the tightness of his jaw that he was a bit uncomfortable about where this conversation was heading. _And no wonder. This is probably way beyond what they signed up for._

"Look, you are never going to hear me admit that these boys in this club are unattractive, I will give you all that. But I'm not going to be looking for someone with just looks. Yes, Mori-senpai seems like a very nice person, and I'm sure we'd be great friends, but I don't see a relationship working here. We're both so quiet we'd probably never get a conversation going. I really _hate_ having a one-sided conversation. It makes me feel like I'm being judged."

One more quick glance to the left, "No offense, Mori-senpai."

The tall boy grunted, but he shot me a look. It wasn't a bad look. Not at all. In fact, he seemed almost amused, with just the hint of a quirk to his lips. He patted the top of my head. _Maybe we will become great friends._

"Well, what about Honey-senpai?"

At this, I laughed, "Honey-senpai reminds me of my seven younger cousins. He's a cutie," I ruffled his hair, "but no way." Honey giggled.

"Now, I'm sure you're all about to ask me the same question for the other boys, but can't we all just have some cake instead? How about we talk about you girls instead? I've only got another ten minutes before I have to play another piece and I'd like to hear a little bit about you. Will that work?"

A beat of silence.

Then.

"YOU'RE SO NICE!" I jump a bit at the sudden shouts, praising my apparent selflessness and other qualities I was unaware of until this moment. Honey was laughing on my right, serving slices of cake to the girls. Mori was humming contently on my left before he reached up and gently ruffled my hair similarly to what I had done to Honey. Off at the only other table I could see, Tamaki was flashing me a thumbs up and a grin.

Slowly, I smiled again and accepted a slice of delicious looking chocolate cake. _Hm. Maybe I'll fit in here just fine._

Of course, the rest of the hosting hours were a bit lackluster. Nachi, my only other "client" of the day never showed up, and my last two pieces were only received with a polite amount of applause. Otherwise, I was completely ignored.

Until.

"Miss Prout?"

All the air was sucked out of my lungs.

"Yes... Mr. Ootori?" _Oh my gosh... how did that come out as anything other than a whimper?_

"I just wished to congratulate you on how you handled the girls' questions from earlier, about any possible relationship with a host. You diverted the questions quite well." _Okay, what universe did I end up in? Is this Kyoya's version of a compliment? What the hell?!_

"Make sure that it never happens again. This club has a reputation to uphold, and if rumors start to spread about any one of us becoming involved with our new... _musician_... it could ruin the club forever. Keep that in mind, if you could."

Before I could make any other sort of remark, he was gone. Back across the room collecting his items. There was a brief thought of marching straight up to the boy and flat out telling him to lay off and find some other person to terrorize, but that was before I remembered that that would _probably ruin my entire future_ and decided against it.

No, it would be much better to just ignore all the B.S. he was throwing at me and just leave. What I needed right now was a nice, hot shower, a warm dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread, and to go to bed. After I finished my homework, of course. I chuckled as I finished packing the last of my things into my school bag. _I can't believe I ever complained about my homework load back in America. These Japanese teachers don't mess around._

"Hey, Kyoya? I've been meaning to ask you, but do you feel sick? You've been looking out of it all day." At Tamaki's question, I began packing faster.

"Not at all, Tamaki."

"But you really looked terrible in class today."

"Just a lack of sleep. I'll be sure to remedy it tonight."

"Well, if you're sure. Maybe you're just having a hard time falling asleep. Perhaps Jacklyn could record some piano playing for you to help-"

"I do not require any help, and even if I did I doubt any pieces Miss Prout could play could have the slightest chance of helping what-so-ever." My jaw clenched. _Hm. Way to say I'm pretty much useless to you, f*ckwad._

"I need to go. Don't want to miss the train. See you all tomorrow." With that, I bolted out the door and down the hall. Suddenly it felt like this huge weight had just lifted off of my chest. _Geez, it's like I just escaped from prison or something. Then again, maybe I did._

"Jacklyn! Wait a minute!" Tamaki was chasing after me down the hall and, not wanting to make a big scene, I stopped and waited for him. He skidded to a stop at my side and beamed down at me, eyes closed and everything.

"Where were you running off to? I wanted to ask if you had any piano duet ideas yet, but you left too fast for me to say anything!"

"No, I haven't come up with anything. Not yet. I'll let you know when I do. Bye!"

"Wait!"

I bounce up and down on my toes, antsy to leave quickly, "What?"

Tamaki tilts his head to the right slightly, his smile dimming until he held a concerned look on his face, "Jacklyn… are you alright?" The question gives me pause. How should I phrase this?

"I… I just feel a little uncomfortable at the club."

"Why?"

My right hand wrung the handles of my school bag. _What should I say? 'Sorry, Tamaki, but your best friend threatened me and my family yesterday so I'm a little on edge around him'?_

"It's… Kyoya just gives off a scary vibe. I-I know it's probably just me-"

"It's not just you." Tamaki smiled softly, ignoring my newly dropped jaw, "Kyoya seems to have the idea that it's him against the world. He has to play every game he can think of to seem like the perfect-" the blond paused for a moment before switching tracks, "He's very cold on the outside, but inside he's just another person like you or me. He has his own morals, his own rules, and his own views of right and wrong."

I licked my lips, "And what _are_ those views?"

"Even I'm not sure about that, but I do know that Kyoya is a kinder person than he would have you believe. Don't sell him short just yet, he still has a few walls that need to come down."

"Ha... _few_ …"

The blond patted the top of my head lightly, like I sometimes did with my dog when he would whimper during thunderstorms, "If Kyoya said something to you recently… don't take it at face value. I recently readjusted his whole worldview and he's probably trying to relocate his boundaries. Kyoya is very passionate about some things, and if he said anything that seemed -out of line, perhaps?- he's probably just worried. Having a musician in the club, let alone a girl, is very new to us. This club is something we all enjoy, and none of us want to see it ruined. Just keep that in mind, alright?"

"I…"

Tamaki smiled and left after one final pat, "See you in class tomorrow, Jacklyn!"

I couldn't do anything but stare after the boy. Where on earth did all that intelligence come from? What the hell!? But, if I were to be completely honest with myself... that's probably the first time I acknowledged that fact that he was a very beautiful human being. Both inside and out.

The train ride home felt far too short to sort out everything that had happened today. Yeah, I definitely need that shower.

* * *

 **Okay, a little bit of sweetness to cover Kyoya's sourpuss-ness. In which Tamaki is an adorable cinnamon roll and understands his new best friend and willingly puts out the fires he lights. Also, I apologize for the lack of Hitachiin in this chapter. They'll show up really soon. But yeah, Jacklyn now has three friends at this school. Good for her!**

 **Read, favorite, follow, review please! I like hearing from you all!**

 **See you next chapter!**


	5. September 9th

**Whelp, I have nothing to say here. I hope you're enjoying this story so far!**

 **Disclaimer: Do I even need this anymore? Tell you what, whatever I wrote down for this in the last chapter? It applies here as well. Okay, that should do it. Onward ho!**

* * *

*No One's P.O.V.*

"Jacklyn? Do you know the answer to 24? Kyoya said I got it wrong but I don't know how and he won't help me!"

The brunette looked up from her history textbook and sighed at the sight of the teary boy in front of her, "Sure. Sit down and let me look at it."

Tamaki quickly shoved his math book into her lap and waited for her analysis. Jacklyn read over the problem and Tamaki's solution, all the while cursing Kyoya's name in her head. Even so, it was incredibly easy to spot her friend's mistake.

"You're not supposed to distribute the 800. You move it to the left side of the equation and just add what's in the parentheses, making the problem 9/8 equals 1.0033 to the 12t power." Tamaki peered over her shoulder and watched as she started writing the solution out on a different page.

"Oh! That's right! If forgot about that! Thanks Jacklyn!"

"No problem."

The blond pulled his math book out of her lap and settled back onto his own couch, which was right across from Jacklyn at the moment. She sighed mutely and pulled her own incomplete homework back onto her lap, going back to where she had left off. It's been a week since she had first joined the host club, and to be honest Jacklyn still wasn't sure if she truly fit in at this place, considering only half of her club members even liked her.

Tamaki was friend number one. He's too friendly for her _not_ to like him, are you kidding? And even though he couldn't truly believe that she felt more comfortable in pants than dresses, they got along very well. They helped each other with homework and liked comparing French, American, and Japanese culture. Besides, both boy and girl liked daydreaming about traveling the world. Tamaki had offered to take her to France over the weekend, but she'd laughed him off. Maybe over break?

Friends numbers two and three were Honey and Mori-senpai. Despite the fact that they only shared two classes together, it seemed as though the older students had taken a liking to Jacklyn. Or, more like Honey seemed to adore her, which drew Mori close as well. In fact, she now sat with them every day during hosting hours just to talk to them and their guests.

However… that was it. Hikaru and Kaoru are keeping her at a bit of a distance, speaking to her _maybe_ once a day, if that. And then Kyoya was a different issue altogether. Jacklyn avoided him as much as possible, and it seemed like he was flat out ignoring her. The sickly way he had looked last week seemed to have just been some sort of bug, because he'd been completely fine ever since.

"Jacklyn?"

"Yes, Tamaki?"

"Have you found a song for us to play together, yet? I'm sorry for rushing, but I'd really like to play something before winter break."

The girl relaxed her shoulders and smiled, "Actually, I think I have found something. But it's going to take a lot of practice. I've sent an email to the writer and asked for some sheet music, so I'm waiting for a response. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to get your hopes up."

"Really? That's fantastic!"

"What's fantastic, boss?"

The twins popped up from behind Tamaki's couch. Jacklyn stared at them for a moment. _How long were they back there?_

"Jacklyn thinks she's found a song for us to play together."

"A duet?"

"For piano?"

Jacklyn nodded, "Yeah. It's a cute little piece that I think the clients will like, especially since it's Disney songs."

"Hm." The twins tilted their heads.

"Are you sure you want to be practicing with the boss, Jacklyn-senpai?"

"Alone?"

Tamaki suddenly jumped up and started chasing the redheads around the room, "Exactly what are you trying to imply?! That I would do something unsavory to our precious musician?! How dare you?! I would never!"

The double doors opened up as Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai walked in, and the twins ducked behind the tall boy, "Not at all boss."

"It's not you we're worried about."

Jacklyn set her books aside, "What are you talking about?"

"Haven't you seen the cover of the school newspaper for the past week?" The twins held up a paper with the words ' _Ou Spot_ ' across the top and a snapshot of Jacklyn underneath, "You've appeared on the front page of the past three issues since you arrived at Ouran."

"...Three times?"

The boys all nodded, "Don't worry about it, Jac-chan, it's been mostly good stuff. And no one reads the paper much any more."

"Ah…" Jacklyn stood up and walked over to take the paper out of the twin's hands to read it, " _Mostly_. Right. Why aren't people reading it?"

Hikaru stuffed his hands into his pockets, nonchalantly, "The newspaper mainly runs gossip stories without any factual bases. By the time you arrived at Ouran, only a handful of students still bothered to grab a copy."

"The first issue with you on the front page was their most popular edition this semester. Thirty-one copies sold. You probably kept them from being shut down."

"Thirty-one." Jacklyn's shoulders relaxed as she scanned the main story, which just talked about how she was doing as the Host Club's musician and the large amounts of praise she had received from the clients.

"Yeah. The only reason we even know about you being in the school's newspaper is because Kyoya always keeps an eye on any press our club receives. Apparently the story surprised him, because there was nothing remotely scandalous about it."

"Scandalous? Is that what they try to focus on?"

Tamaki nodded and took the magazine from Jacklyn, reading it himself, "Yes, it seems that the club has taken an unusual dislike of the host club. They ran one story about us in a negative light and lost every single female reader in an instant. But their stories on you… were completely positive."

"Now, I wouldn't say that, exactly."

Jacklyn barely managed to conceal her jump as Kyoya appeared from the back of the room, "While it is true that Miss Prouts' appearances in the newspaper have been portrayed in a positive light, whenever the rest of the club is mentioned it is not nearly as kind."

He pulled the paper Tamaki was holding into his own hands and flipped a page, "For instance, this final paragraph reads, 'As this American's natural talent with the piano cannot be disputed, it raises the question, yet again, of why her talent is being wasted in a Host Club. Surely such music would be much better suited in the Classical Music club or perhaps with the choir. And yet, Miss Jacklyn Prout is not even enrolled in a music class at Ouran. One can only imagine what agreement must've been made between the new student and the President of the Host Club, Tamaki Suoh, to keep such talent locked away.'"

"Huh. And they just… print that? Without any fact checks or interviews or supervision? No wonder people aren't reading this thing, they're making it sound like I was forced into this club against my will. Which is perhaps halfway true, but still…"

Two elbows propped themselves up on her shoulders, "Which is why we were thinking you should reconsider practicing a song with the boss in private."

"If the Newspaper Club caught wind of it, they could try to spin it into a tale of female servitude!"

Jacklyn nibbled her lower lip, "But… if they already have such a terrible reputation, then no one would read that story in the first place. And besides, whoever would read that would probably never believe it! Tamaki, pulling me into female servitude? They'd be shut down within the week! They wouldn't even try it… I think."

"We can never be too careful, Miss Prout. Most of the students at Ouran survive merely because of reputation, and if something were to happen to damage that-"

"But what about the club members of this newspaper club? What about their reputation? Have you ever tried to talk to them about it?" The boys look away or scuff their shoes on the ground, answering her without words. "Are you kidding me?"

"Well it's not like we know them very well, Jac-chan. They aren't even in our classes!" Jacklyn rubbed at her cheek, letting out a big sigh.

"Where is their club room?"

"Jacklyn-senpai!"

"Don't go up there!"

"They like me. Or at least they like me better than you guys. I might as well try."

"We forbid interviews, Miss Prout, in case you've forgotten."

"And I'm not giving one, Mr. Ootori. I'm merely going to respectfully request that they leave me and this club out of their tabloids. Perhaps the reason they tell all these stories is because no one has bothered to ask them to stop? Besides, I have no reputation to damage yet. I'm a clean slate. And confronting a group that no one else in the school likes is hardly likely to do any real damage anyways."

Tamaki tilted his head to the right and pressed a single finger against his cheek, "You know… you have a good point, Jacklyn." He smiled, "Their club room is on the second floor of this building. They should be in session right about now. Just try to get back before we open for business, alright?"

The brunette nodded, "Sure thing. Give me half an hour!" She spun around and marched out the door. As the fell shut behind her, Jacklyn stopped and took in a deep breath. While on the outside she looked confident and ready, on the inside she was freaking out just a little bit. Her mind began racing in a panic as she started walking again.

 _What have I done? Can I just… slip into the bathroom for half an hour and go back, telling the club that they refused to listen to me? But then what if_ they _confront them? Oh no… Maybe I can say that they weren't in-_

"Jacklyn-senpai!"

"Wait up!"

She spun around, her eyes wide. It was the Hitachiin's. The two boys ran up to her, smiling wickedly.

"The boss and Kyoya-senpai told us to follow you."

"Yeah. The boss said that you might need some moral support. And Kyoya-senpai doesn't want you to skip out on the host club."

They grin maliciously, "So lead the way…"

Jacklyn gulped before turning back around and continuing her search.

It took them almost 20 minutes to find the right room. And during the entire walk none of them said a thing. Mostly because Jacklyn was terrible with small talk, on top of hating it with a passion, but also because she had a feeling that the twins would rather jump out the nearest window rather than speak to her.

 _I wish Emma was here. Or Ben. Or Chelsea. Or David. Hell, I'd even take Dominic if it only meant that I'd be with someone who'd talk to me. Not these rich ba-_

"Hey, found it."

Kaoru was pointing at the door in the middle of the hallway they were now walking down in a sort of half interest. It looked exactly the same as all the others, but on the front of the door there was a sign reading, 'Newspaper Club'.

"Huh, good job, Kaoru. So, now what?"

The twins sighed and shot each other a suffering kind of glance, "Knock on the door and do your job."

"Oh… right."

The redheads scurried a little further down the hallway and ducked behind a random bench, peeking out over the seat with evil looks on their faces. Her annoyance at the way the twins obviously looked down on her, despite the whole 'senpai' deal they have in Japan, helped dull her nervousness at having to talk to brand new people. Before her odd and clearly manufactured attempt at half-assed bravery disappeared, Jacklyn raised one hand and rapped a short rhythm on the door. Immediately there was the sound of frantic shifting from inside the room.

"Come in."

Ignoring the twin's smug thumbs-up, she turned the door handle and pushed the door open, walking straight in.

The very first thing she noticed was how dark it was. Sure, there was enough light to see and what not, but it was a sharp contrast to the hallway she had just exited. The only source of light for the entire room came from the large windows lining the wall directly across from the door, creating silhouettes for the three other people in the room. The overhead lights were shut off.

"Miss Prout? What a surprise!" The boy in the middle who had been sitting down at the desk shot up out of his seat. He quickly walked around his desk and gently gripped her hand in his. Jacklyn thought he was going to give her a nice handshake, but instead he bent to plant a short kiss on the back of it. "We are honored to have you visit us."

"Uh… thank you?"

Jacklyn gave the boy a good look. Large square glasses. Dull brown hair stopping at his jawline. He looked harmless, but there was something… off about the way he was looking at her. And he seemed to think the same about how she was looking at him.

"Oh, right, I'm so sorry, how rude of me. My name is Akira Komatsuzawa, Class 2-C. I'm the Editor in Chief for this club. And behind me are my two fellow club members," Akira gestured behind him with his left hand, still holding Jacklyn's hand with his right, "Chikage Ukyo, Class 1-B, and Tomochika Sakyo, Class 1-C." Jacklyn nodded, even though all the names had left her head as quickly as they had gone in. She was _horrible_ with names, and she knew it.

"It's nice to meet you boys."

"Well, come sit down, please."

The shorter boy, Ukyo-san, quickly pulled out a wooden chair from the far corner of the room for her to sit on. As he did so, she gave the rest of the room a quick scan. There were mountainous piles of newspapers all around them, sagging a little sadly. _Are these all the newspapers they haven't sold? That's a little sad…_

"So, Miss Prout, what brings you to our club room?"

She jerks her head back to face the three, "Oh. Well, I read one of your articles about me and I have a few things to say."

"An interview? Excellent! Sakyo, grab a recorder! Ukyo, write down every movement!"

"Wait! This isn't an interview!" The three stopped moving instantly.

"It's… not?"

"No! I came to ask you to stop."

Akito, or whatever his name was, she couldn't remember now, slowly sat back down in his seat behind the desk, "Ah. I see. So, what does Suoh have to say?"

"Suoh? Oh, Tamaki? No, this isn't from Tamaki. In fact, he told me to just ignore it, but I wanted to try."

"You want us to stop saying good things about you? Why? I thought you'd be flattered?"

Jacklyn blinked and swallowed around the tight feeling in her throat, "Well, I am, and I did want to thank you for being kind to me in your stories. No one else at this school was that nice to me when I first came here. But, I actually wanted to ask if you'd stop writing mean things about the Host Club."

"Mean… things?"

Her throat grew tighter.

" _W-well… I just read a little bit of it, but I heard that you haven't exactly been completely kind to the Host Club in some of your other editions, and I was wondering if maybe we could talk about why that was._ "

"Hm. I see." The chief editor sat back in his chair, not looking completely relaxed but attempting it. The other boys were worse, clearly nervous. Looking away. A few beads of sweat shining in the sunlight coming through the window. It helped a little to know that the boys were just as nervous as she was.

Jacklyn licked her lips, "Let's start with the reason. Did… someone at the club say or do something to you? I know that some of the members can be a bit…" she tried to think of the right word to describe Kyoya or the twins. _Bossy? Cruel? Apathetic? Sociopaths?_ "...much, at times, but I'm sure they didn't intentionally mean any disrespect."

For a moment, glasses boy didn't say anything. He just stared at her with the same weird look on his face. Then he leaned forward.

"You have an interesting way of seeing the world. You look at it like a story being told, don't you?"

Jacklyn blinked, "Um… sort of."

"Don't worry. I only know because that's how I see it, too. The characters, the setting, we both describe what's going on in our heads. We write about what we see. What might happen. What could've happened. What others wished had happened. We see all the different story-lines until we're not sure what the reality is any longer." Jacklyn suddenly realized that she was sitting forward in her seat and quickly scooted backwards again, embarrassed.

He smiled, "Which is why we like the gossip. We like hearing the small details, learning how certain characters react to certain things and why they did it. And then the telling… well that's just the only way we can get other people to hear us, isn't that right Miss Prout?"

Jacklyn sucked in a deep breath, "That… that may be… but we should get back to the situation at hand."

"Ah, yes, of course. But one final offhanded note: You'd do well in a club like this one. Where you could write stories and tell people the true happenings of Ouran."

For a moment… Jacklyn was tempted. It was true, she loved to write. But…

"I'm sorry, but I only write fiction. The real world is a bit boring to me."

He chuckled and sat back again, "That's fair. So, back to the situation. Yes, I do have a few personal… issues with a host or two, but that doesn't affect my editing or my will to share the truth. I've found it to be that few people ever want to learn the truth if it's not what they want to hear."

Jacklyn shifted in her chair, "Well, I suppose that's true-"

"And there you have it! I'm very glad that we could clarify this nasty business. Now, I'm terribly sorry, but we're running a little behind on our next edition, so I'm afraid that I have to ask you to leave for now."

" _...Oh._ " The brunette looked down at the floor before standing up. Her legs were quivering a little from her embarrassment. " _So…are you going to stop writing mean things about the Host Club?_ "

The boys exchanged glances before the chief-editor sighed and rested his chin on his hands, "Miss Prout? One last thing before you leave. Neither I, nor my club, has ever done anything against you or said something about your club-mates that does not have a ring of truth to it, correct? Now tell me, have the hosts been as kind to you in all the time that you've known them?"

Jacklyn stared at him for a few moments before walking towards the door, "I'm going to be late, and I don't know what you are implying."

Her hand grasped the cold metal of the doorknob just as his voice rang out again, "Think it over, Miss Prout. I said it once already and I'm going to say it again. You'd do very well in our club. We're always on the market for new members." She stared at him from over her shoulder. The brunet smiled kindly, "Have a good day."

Her right hand shook as she wrenched the door open and hurried out of the room. The large wooden door boomed shut and she leaned up against it, her eyes tightly shut as she attempted to will her heart rate down.

 _It can't be good for my heart to keep having these panicky and anxious moments so often. I need to get myself checked out._

"A _hem._ "

Jacklyn jumped and fell to the floor, staring up at the angry faces of two Hitachiin twins.

"So…"

"What went on in there…"

" _Hmmm?_ "

*10 minutes later*

"No. No, that can't be."

"We're telling you the truth, boss."

Jacklyn sat still on her assigned chair. She rubbed at her wrists, glaring so hard at the tiled floor between her feet there might as well be two smoldering holes or possibly even a full-blown bonfire there. Across from her, the six host club boys stood in a circle, occasionally glancing in her direction. Some of the glances were accusatory, some brokenhearted, and some in angry disbelief.

 _Oh yeah? I could say the same to you._

Ever since the brunette had been forcefully _dragged_ back to Music Room #3 and dumped into her chair, she'd heard nothing but the twins telling all the others about how she had almost ditched them for the _newspaper club._ Oh _please._

Still, at the moment, that offer was starting to look much more appealing than the dangerous fire in Kyoya's eyes.

Finally, Tamaki stopped questioning and criticizing everything the twins said. His eyes dipped to the floor as if he was a member of a jury and it was his vote that would decide whether a man lived or died. Jacklyn couldn't help but snort in disbelief. This was getting ridiculous.

"Are you absolutely positive?"

"Yes."

The tall blond sighed, "Very well… I suppose we have no choice. Jacklyn Prout?"

"Yeah?"

"You are hereby… dishonorably discharged… from the Ouran Highschool Host Club."

Jacklyn blinked as his words settled over her. _Wait a minute… I don't have to stay here any longer?_ For a second, she felt the seed of happiness that came from being excused from a social event you didn't even want to attend in the first place. But then a few more variables came into play. They were letting her go because they thought she almost ditched their club. Which, of course, was a lie, but at the same time…

" _God, I can't believe I'm actually going to do this, but,_ I'd like to challenge your decision."

The boys blinked.

"You want to… I'm sorry, what?"

"Challenge your decision. You know, the one where you kicked me out. Because, to be honest, I have quite a few things to say about it. Namely, where you're all idiots."

If it was possible for the boys to look even more confused, Jacklyn was sure that they would've.

"Miss Prout, I'm not sure if you-"

" _Zip it_ , Ootori. I'm taking the podium for this half of the trial."

There was a very odd feeling in Jacklyn's chest as she stood up. She didn't feel very much fear. Instead, she was angry. Angry at the mean students in this school who thought she was good-for-nothing. Angry at the surprised looks of her desk "neighbors" when they saw her high scores on her homework. Angry at these six boys who were all different mixtures of kindness and bitchiness. And, above all, she was angry at every single one of their 'higher-than-thou' attitudes that caused them to feel like she didn't need a say in this decision that would reflect on her personal image throughout the _entire school_. They hadn't even asked for _her side of the story._

"Listen up, I've just about _had it_ with this school, so I'm going to make myself very clear for the next few minutes. I have put up with a new kids worst nightmares ever since I set foot in this ridiculously pink building. Bullies, rumors, embarrassment, and, to top it all off, blackmail to be a part of an organization where I face my shyness every day. If you don't like me for whatever personal reason you can muster up, _fine_ , I didn't come here to make friends. However, I am now a part of your club, because in case you've forgotten, _you_ hired _me._ So, I figure I'm entitled enough to at least give you _my_ version of the story."

No one dared to argue, so she continued, "Yes, the guys offered me a spot in their club, and yes, I considered it for a split second, but why don't you look at it from my point of view? They did not blackmail me. Nor did they treat me with disrespect. And they were the first people at this damn school who didn't treat me like garbage, aside from Honey-senpai and Mori-don't even _think_ about disagreeing with me Tamaki, you didn't even acknowledge my _existence_ until I stumbled into this room."

The blond shut his mouth with a _click._

"Right. Anyways, I might have considered it, but I also remembered the poor words those boys chose to describe you all. And while half of you are _assholes_ -" a pointed glare in the direction of some redheads, "-the other three of you aren't so bad, so I made the internal decision to never agree to join them. Besides, I'm already "employed" at the Host Club, I don't need any more changes while I'm here _thank you._ The reason I didn't say anything to them about my choice was because I was kinda there to get them on our side, remember? Telling them I didn't want to join their club because I didn't like the way they talked about a handful of you probably would've gotten me escorted out without another word."

Jacklyn took in a few deep breaths before pulling on the best look of contempt she could muster, "I can see the surprise on your faces. You must've thought I was _so stupid_. But really, if you were so intent on keeping me in the club where even the _thought_ of me leaving is similar to high treason, then what would be the point of getting rid of me? So I can join the club you think I want to? Cut all my ties that are keeping me from it? Who came up with _that_ plan? I think you should keep me in this club."

She crossed her arms, sadistically pleased to see all six of them with varying degrees of embarrassment, "There. I've said my part. Now, what are we going to do next?"

It took about a minute before anyone said anything else. Surprisingly, it was the twins who spoke first.

"Maybe… we should tell the newspaper club you don't want to join them?"

"And that we want you here instead?"

The brunette nodded. She had a feeling that might be the closest to an apology she'd get from the two of them at this point.

"Alright. That's on the agenda for tomorrow. Maybe if they think I considered it, they'll be less likely to think you forced me to turn the offer down." The others nodded their heads, still thoroughly lectured. Jacklyn felt her anger drain away, so she gave them a small smile.

"Alright… now that we've gotten all of the unsavory issues out of the way, what was this meeting supposed to be about?"

Sensing her mood change, Tamaki managed a small smile as well, "We're considering cosplays for tomorrow, but we can't decide between the three."

"Hm. Well, best get started then."

* * *

 **Sorry if the 'chew out' seems out of character for Jacklyn, but I've honestly had this planned out for a while. Let's just say that she's always had a sort of secret attitude hidden under her shyness. Where it came from will be explained in future chapters.**

 **Read, review, follow, favorite, thank you!**

 **See you next chapter!**


	6. September 10th

**Short chapter. Just wrapping things up. And YAY more friends for Jackie!**

 **Disclaimer: Only own Jacklyn. I promise.**

* * *

"Miss Prout! Miss Prout!"

Jacklyn spun around in the hallway as a boy ran up to her. It took her a moment, but she recognized him as the editor of the newspaper club. His name started with… an A? Or was it a C..?

"Miss Prout, I'm glad I caught you before class."

The brunette blinked and looked over her shoulder. Her classroom was literally right behind her. Three more steps and she'd be back in "education mode".

"Right. So…"

"Oh! Right, well, I was wondering if you've thought about my offer to join the newspaper club?"

Jacklyn felt a shiver of panic trickle down her spine. He was asking for an answer already? It hadn't even been 24 hours! And hadn't he tried giving off the impression that he wanted her to join under her own free will?

"I, um, I've thought it over and-"

"Jac-chan! Why are you standing outside the door?" Jacklyn turned just as Honey poked his head out of the classroom with a smile. Mori appeared behind his cousin with a small lift to his lips, indicating he was pleased to see her. Wow, she was getting pretty good at "Mori-senpai speak". In any case, the indigent sniff that sounded from behind her was ignored.

"I'll come in soon, just give us a moment, Honey-senpai."

The short blond shifted his gaze over to the boy behind her. "Hi, Komatsu-chan! How nice to see you! But… I thought your classroom was on the other side of the building? I hope you're not late..."

The brunet looked like he'd been force-fed a lemon, "Very well." His demeanor changed as he looked back at the girl, "We can finish this conversation again later, Miss Prout." He bowed quickly at his waist before walking away.

Jacklyn rushed into the classroom before he even took two steps. Her heart was racing, any trace of confidence she had felt at any point yesterday was gone. It was almost like she'd used up her weekly dose all at once. And honestly, she wasn't even sure if it was going to make any difference. If anything, her snapping at the boys could've made things worse for her at the Host Club.

So you can imagine her surprise when she sat down and found that the cousins were in front of her desk. Honey had his usual smile and Mori his typical seriousness. Neither of them looked mad or wary.

"What's up?"

"I think Komatsu-chan has a crush on you."

Jacklyn blinked, opened her mouth, closed it, and looked around behind her as if Honey was speaking to someone else. Nope. No one there. So she looked back at the small blond boy and pointed a finger at her chest.

"Me?"

"Yeah, Jac-chan."

She blinked again, "But… I thought everyone at this school didn't like me?"

Now it was Honey's turn to look bewildered, "Jac-chan… a lot of boys have crushes on you. The girls like you. Haven't you noticed in the Host Club? You're becoming very popular!"

"But… when I first joined-"

"When you first joined they didn't know how great you were!"

Jacklyn felt her cheeks heat up and she looked down at her desk, " _I guess I didn't notice._ "

Honey laughed and sat down in her lap, hugging her, "It's okay, Jac-chan! But we should probably tell the others. Maybe this is the reason Komatsu-chan wants you in the newspaper club and away from the hosts."

Jacklyn sighed and leaned her head back, "This just got a whole lot more complicated…"

*Time Skip*

"So, what you're saying is, I'm screwed?"

"That's not exactly the term I would use."

Jacklyn crossed her arms, "I can't leave the club, but I can't make it seem like I'm favoring you guys. I also have to make sure everyone believes I'm here under my own free will, _and_ somehow convince the guy who has a crush on me that I'm not staying in the club he dislikes because I'm either being forced or I'm pursuing a relationship with any of you. What would you call _that?_ "

"...An unfortunate circumstance."

"This whole club was an unfortunate circumstance for me."

"Jac-chan!" The brunette rolled her eyes but patted the short blond's head with slight affection.

"Okay, fine, maybe not the _whole_ club."

"Miss Prout-"

The twins appeared by Jacklyn's sides, interrupting whatever Kyoya was about to say, "Hey, Jacklyn-senpai?"

"Just thought you should know, some guy with brown hair and huge glasses just rounded the corner of the hallway."

"We don't think he's here for us."

Despite the fact that Jacklyn was about to face the biggest problem of her time here (which was saying something) she couldn't help but notice that the twins didn't look very happy about the fact some guy was coming to ask for her to leave. In fact, ever since she had blown up at them all yesterday, the twins had been acting a little different around her. Almost kindly.

 _Knock knock knock!_

Jacklyn felt her torso grow cold and her shoulders stiffened.

"We'll get it." Before they did, however, the redheads did something strange. They each took one of her hands and gave her a quick squeeze. Like lending some moral support or something. Whatever it was, Jacklyn appreciated it _greatly_.

 _Maybe I should've shouted at them sooner._

The twins walked over to the large doors and gripped a handle each. They pulled it open and the newspaper club president walked inside. They couldn't see his eyes due to the glare from the lights overhead, but Jacklyn had a pretty good idea that he was currently scanning the room to see how many host members were there.

It was all of them.

The boy smiled suddenly, though it looked more than a little forced, "Miss Prout! I was wondering if we could talk out in the hallway?" The brunette nodded and followed him out of the music room, the large doors booming shut behind them. She stopped, but the boy continued to walk.

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere where we won't be eavesdropped upon."

Jacklyn felt sick. The only reason she was even _this_ calm about talking to the guy was because she knew the hosts would be listening in the whole time, ready to step in should something go wrong. Now, she wouldn't even have that.

" _Okay._ "

The two continued down the hallway. Thankfully, they didn't go very far. Just to the staircase around the corner. Once it was clear that the two of them were alone, the boy gave Jacklyn another smile.

"Well, you said that you've thought about my offer?"

Jacklyn sucked in a deep breath and attempted to pull her thoughts together. She wasn't going to leave the Host Club, especially since the alternative was a disgraced newspaper club that she truly had no interest in. But how to phrase it?

 _If I say something wrong, Kyoya will-_

 _Stop. Wait. Why do I care?_ Jacklyn thought about it. _Would he really do something like that? Really? And what about the others? If they found out, he'd lose all of their respect. And besides, what else am I supposed to say to this guy?_

"Miss Prout? If you need more time I can-"

"No, thank you. I have my answer. I am sorry, but I can not join your club. I made a commitment to the Host Club and I rather enjoy being their musician. Thank you for your offer, but my choice is final."

There's a brief moment of silence before he says something.

"Suoh found out, didn't he?"

"What? Ah, no, he didn't."

"You don't have to protect him. Did he, or did he not, tell you to turn down all other offers from other clubs? In an effort to keep your skills and beauty to himself?"

Jacklyn's mouth fell open, "Uh…"

"I knew it." His eyes grew hard, "Suoh thinks he can have whatever he wants, ever since he arrived at Ouran, just because his father is chairman of the board!" Jacklyn raised her eyebrows. _Huh, he failed to mention that._

It looked like this guy was about to start shouting and screaming at any moment, so she was quick to cut him off, "Hey, Tamaki asked me to join the host club. I made the final decision. It's nice, and I like playing the piano for the guests. I didn't even _know_ about Tamaki's father before now."

The boy scowled, "You're lying, I can tell, but I also know now that you won't go against Suoh, will you? He probably promised you something to stay, didn't he? Well tell that blond oaf that this isn't over! I _will_ expose him eventually!"

That was the final straw. Maybe Tamaki _was_ a bit of a... handful, at times, but the way this guy was talking about him just rubbed Jaclyn the wrong way. This conversation was _over._ "You know what? How about you just leave us alone? That should work out for everyone, I think. Please, go away."

If there was a way to make him look even more enraged, that would've done it. But, thankfully, instead of shouting he spun around and stalked away. Jacklyn watched him with her head tilted until he disappeared around the corner.

 _Well, things at this school just become more interesting by the second._

"Jacklyn?"

"Jac-chan?"

"Are you done yet? We're opening soon and need to get you into costume!"

Jacklyn shook herself out of her thoughts and ran back towards the music room, "Coming!" The doors were already open by the time she reached them and the boys were anxious to question her. Though it took her a while to focus on their questions and not on their Pirate cosplays. Really, most of their clothes consisted of ripped shirts and "stained" pants. None of them should've looked good, but somehow they made it work.

"How'd it go?"

"Was he angry?"

The brunette shrugged, "As angry as you would expect. I don't think he's going to be writing any more flattering pieces about me anytime soon."

"And the host club?"

Jacklyn shrugged, "Maybe I should've listened to you guys before. I don't think anything changed."

"Well, you did try. That's more than we did. And you're shyer than we are… so you were especially brave." Jacklyn couldn't help but stare at the twins. They didn't look like they knew what to say about their actions either, but at the same time they seemed okay with it. The four other boys were flicking their gazes between them all, most of them with an impressed look on their faces. This must've been a really big step for Hikaru and Kaoru.

"Thank you. And I'm sorry, by the way. I shouldn't have called you names, that wasn't very mature of me."

The redheads smirked, "We probably had it coming."

"And besides, we're a host club. We're supposed to be polite and courteous to the girls who take part in our club."

" _All_ of the girls."

Jacklyn grinned at the boys, feeling a small part of her animosity towards them flake off.

"Miss Prout, did Komatsuzawa-senpai say anything else to you?"

For a moment, Jacklyn was tempted to tell them all that Tamaki, apparently, had an arch-enemy who thought he was up to no good because of his father. That sounded like something he deserved to know, even if he wouldn't _want_ to know. Because really, who would _want_ to know that there's someone who hates their guts? And if Tamaki found out, would he try to change the guy's mind about him? Or would he let it go?

"Jacklyn? Anything else?"

The brunette started before shaking her head, "No. Nothing really. I was just trying to remember. He didn't say anything except that he'd never offer me a spot in their club again." The others chuckled.

"Well, the club opens in about five minutes. Jacklyn, your cosplay is in the changing room already. If you hurry we'll all be in place by the time the ladies show up!"

"Thanks, Tamaki."

The seven went their separate ways around the room. The boys arranging their tables or adjusting their tunics while their female member hurried to the far back of the room. Jacklyn peeked into the side room and saw her "lady-pirate" outfit hanging up just outside of a yellow curtained-off area. The outfit was fairly similar to the boy's, but showed a bit of her cleavage and had a skirt. She slipped into the room, then a thought occurred to her. She wasn't exactly sure why she did it, but before she shut the door behind her, Jacklyn turned around and watched the others for a moment. Her mood darkened.

 _So… Tamaki's father is the chairman of the board? He's the one who signed my scholarship. I guess Tamaki really_ does _hold more power than the rest of them. Is that why he's the king of this club?_ Jacklyn gave the boys one last sad look before letting the door close in front of her face.

 _And if what they all value more than anything is power and money...do any of them even honestly_ _like each other?_

* * *

 **THE TWINS LIKE JACKLYN NOW! Wahoo! Guess they appreciate someone with a bit of a fire inside them! Again, apologies for the short chapter. I hope it didn't disappoint.**

 **So, read, favorite, follow, review, whatever you'd like.**

 **See you next chapter!**


	7. September 23rd

**Ding ding ding! Another chapter coming up! If you're reading this story… wow. Low standards, much? Jk, thank you so much for reading my story. It means a lot to me.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for my own. And I don't own any of Taylor Swift's songs.**

* * *

It's not like she'd never seen him before.

Jacklyn often used this particular hallway to get from the library to the third music room, and he'd always in the same place every day. Standing in the corner with that tan colored cat puppet, wearing dark robes, face hidden by shadows, and not speaking to anyone.

Every day she wondered what would happen if she went up and said hi, but every day she would be running late and had to put it off.

Not today, however.

The brunette sucked in a breath and walked over to the corner. The boy (or, at least she assumed it was a boy, she'd never seen their face), didn't react until she was standing directly in front of him. He looked up and Jacklyn saw the brightest blue eyes she'd ever seen on anybody. They were electric looking to be quite honest, and they took her breath away for a moment.

" _Can I help you?_ "

Wow, okay. Cool eyes, creepy voice. That's a strange combination.

"Uh, hi. I just wanted to say that I like your puppet."

The boy (she knew he was a he now) looked down at the cat puppet before returning his gaze to her, " _His name is Beelzenef, and I must say it is a pleasant surprise to speak to you, Prout-san._ "

"You know my name?" Jacklyn suddenly made a weird face and smacked her forehead lightly, "Sorry, right. New kid, American, school newspaper. Um, moving on then. You said it was a… surprise that I came to talk to you?"

" _Of course. Very few people take the time to talk to me. I tend to frighten them._ "

Jacklyn smiled, though she thought it was horrible that he knew he frightened people, "Same. And you don't frighten me."

The boy tilted his head, " _People are frightened of you?_ "

She laughed, "No, but I normally don't have people talk to me unless they're forced to. So… um, you already know my name. What's yours?"

Blue-eyes stared at her for a moment, " _Umehito Nekozawa. I'm in class 2-D._ "

Jacklyn smiled a little wider, "Nice to meet you Nekozawa-senpai. Now, I've got to run, or else I'll be late to my club activities, but we should talk again sometime." She lifted her right hand and, pinching Beelzenef's right paw between her thumb and forefinger, shook the puppet's hand, "It was nice to meet you too, Beelzenef."

Nekozawa smiled back for the first time, showing off bright white teeth, " _It was a delight to meet you as well, Prout-san. Should you ever tire of your club, you can join my black magic club and get a free Beelzenef curse doll._ "

Jacklyn smiled, "I'll keep that in mind. Bye!"

The two waved at each other as Jacklyn walked down the hallway, smiling to herself. Despite how weak her knees felt and the way her heart was pounding solidly in her chest, she was beyond proud of herself for finally gathering the courage to speak to someone new. And, to be honest, she had her regular "guests" to thank for that kind of confidence.

*Flashback*

"Jacklyn! Jacklyn! Can you sing for us?"

The brunette jolted and her music sheets almost fluttered out of her hands, "W-what? S-sing for you?" The girls sitting around her nodded frantically, unaware of the internal panic their entertainment was going through. Meanwhile, Honey-senpai was quick to voice his own opinion from his couch, where he'd apparently been eavesdropping.

"I wanna hear Jac-chan sing, too! Don't you think that'd be great, Takashi?"

"Mmm."

The cousins and their guests stood up and walked closer to the piano, making poor Jacklyn feel like she was surrounded. Her hands started shaking something fierce. Despite having stood up to a jerk (oh, and the club too, though most of them fit in that same category) last week, that was only a baby step compared to doing something like _singing_ in front of others!

"I-I-I'm not so sh-sure that's a go-good idea, H-h-honey-senpai…"

"Awww… she's so cute when she stutters!"

"And her face is all red!"

"She's adorable!"

Jacklyn wanted to crawl in a little hole and die. There were more girls gathering around every second and it felt like she was either about to burst into tears or projectile vomit. Then, like her personal guardian angel…

"Hey, Jacklyn? You don't have to sing if you don't want to." It was like a million and one pounds were lifted off her chest as the other girls asked the blonde why she didn't want to hear Jacklyn sing. Once the attention was off of her, the American could breathe freely once more. Nachi was sitting off to the side, not speaking but trying to console Jacklyn with her eyes. It had taken her a few weeks, but the shy girl had finally worked up the courage to come into the host club and listen to Jacklyn play up close, which is why Jacklyn didn't blame her client for not speaking up. Nachi was incredibly shy as well.

She inhaled deeply once.

Twice.

Then, as she palmed away the beginnings of her tears, Jacklyn considered her options. At any moment, the guests were either going to persuade the other girl that making their "entertainment" sing for them was a non-negotiable action, or they were going to attract to attention of a certain vice-president who was going to _make_ her sing whether she wanted to or not.

 _Well… it's not like I_ can't _sing. Honey-senpai told me I could… and he's already heard me before._ She licked her lips. _I've sung for people before… sort of. But maybe I can… persuade them to not make me sing?_

The brunette sucked in another breath, attempting to harness the bravery she'd felt five days ago, "I wouldn't even know what to sing for you girls…"

As soon as the other girls refocused on her, Jacklyn discovered that her small amount of bravery from last week had most likely been anger and frustration combo thing. Something she was lacking at the moment.

"How about a song from America that you like?"

"Or the lyrics from something you've played for us before?"

"Oh! Then she could play and sing for us at the same time!"

Jacklyn felt her throat close up and she looked down at the music sheets in her hands. They were shaking almost violently, so she set the pages to the side before she accidentally ripped them.

"Uh… uh…"

"Yeah! That's a great idea Chi-chan! That's how Jac-chan became our musician in the first place!" Again, all the clients turned away from the poor little musician to face the more 'interesting' storyteller. Jacklyn was quick to cover her mouth during the distraction, trying to keep her stomach acid _inside_ of her stomach.

"You've heard Prout-san sing _before_?"

"Yeah! She came into the music room before our meeting, and when we came back she was playing the piano. She started singing to her second song before we interrupted! Then Tama-chan asked her to be our musician, and here we are!"

"It's like fate!"

 _Or bribery. And then blackmailing._

Jacklyn sucked in a deep breath and pulled her hands into her lap. Alright… there's the anger part. And if she played the piano while she sang, she might be able to pretend like there was no one watching her… though she doubted she could manage that. Her imagination was difficult to control at times. Comes with creative writing, it would seem.

And then what if she was too quiet for the guests to hear? Sure, Jacklyn could scream and shout in a loud environment like the next person. But indoors? Near _people_? She became so quiet it was like her vocal chords had a dampener.

"What if she doesn't know any song lyrics that well? Or if she's not comfortable enough with them?"

The group returned their eyes to Jacklyn, "Is that it?"

"Er…well," the truth was that she was very good at memorizing song lyrics. But still… did she want to sing to these guys? A quick glance at their hopeful faces, and she realized that it didn't really matter what she thought. They wanted to hear her sing, and they weren't going to give up on her.

Jacklyn sighed and bit at her lower lip, trying to stop her stomach from flipping, "If I sing one song for you all… will you stop asking?"

The group nodded frantically, "Of course! We'll never ask ever again!"

 _Yeah... right._ Despite the obvious lie, Jacklyn nodded slowly and began going through her mental music albums. _Alright, Jackie. One song. Just the one. You can do this._

She sucked in a breath, "Okay. Um… how about… Taylor Swift?"

About half of the girls straightened up with excitement. So, they knew who Taylor Swift was? Cool. Now to try and remember a song from Taylor Swift that she knew all the lyrics to. Which was stupid, considering she had at least three albums of hers on her MP3 player. But, of course, at the moment she couldn't even think of one song. Wasn't that always the way?

 _Hold on. How about 'Love Song'?_

Of course. The one song that everyone knew the lyrics forwards and backwards. Okay, maybe not backwards, but you get the gist. The brunette swallowed harshly and turned around on the piano bench. One more glance at the expectant faces around her, which now included about forty or so girls, Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai, Hikaru, and Kaoru. Another tight swallow before she started the beginning melody.

She opened her mouth for a breath-

*End Flashback*

Jacklyn pushed the club doors open and walked straight in. The music room was starting to look less like a prison, and more like a beautifully designed room with multicolored roses dotting the place. The brunette felt her lips twitch in a bigger smile as she made her way to the grand piano.

"Jac-chan's here!" Honey bounded over to give his friend a tight hug around her waist, which she returned by squeezing his shoulders as best as she could with her left arm. Her right hand was busy holding her bag.

Once the small blond let go of her, she continued walking towards the piano. Hikaru and Kaoru waved as a form of greeting as she passed, and she waved back. _I can't believe how different this place is after my little... outburst._ And it was true. The boys (save for one) were starting to hang around her more, not just during club hours. She'd say 'hi' to the cousin's in the hallway, and Tamaki had invited her to eat with him in the lunchroom.

Speaking of whom, the tall blond stood up from his section of chairs and tables to walk beside the girl, "What do you plan to play today, Jacklyn?"

Jacklyn shrugged, "I was originally planning on playing 'Once Upon A December' again, but I just watched a short animation that used that song as a background, and if I play it I'll probably be overwhelmed with emotion. So… I'll probably just look around my bag for something."

Tamaki chuckled before glancing at her from the corner of his eye, "And… when do you think we'll be able to play-"

"A week or two." Jacklyn smiled and gently patted his shoulder, "Not that long now, I promise. I just want to practice a little more, alright?"

The blond nodded enthusiastically before he was called away by his vice president, "We're opening in about five minutes, men and lady!"

"Okay, Tama-chan!"

"Got it, boss!"

"Almost done here!"

Jacklyn nodded her own response before setting her school bag onto the piano bench. Flipping the top flap over, she thumbed past her homework for the night until she found her music folder, conveniently pressing her MP3 against the side of her bag to keep it in one place.

Pulling both the folder and device out, she double checked the MP3's battery before setting it aside to open the folder.

"Three minute warning!"

A seed of panic settled into Jacklyn's stomach as she flipped through each piece. _Not that one. Played it yesterday. Played it two days ago. Too long for the first song. Too sad to be the first. I just told Tamaki I wouldn't play it._

 _Aha!_

"Two minutes! Everyone please gather by the chair in the center of the room."

Pleased by her final choice, Jacklyn pulled out 'Part of Your World' and set it on her piano stand, quickly spreading out the pages. Then she set her music folder down on the bench and jogged over to the center of the room just a little past the one minute warning.

"Cutting it close yet again, Miss Prout?"

The brunette rolled her eyes, "It's not like I'm that far away, you know." But other than that, she didn't say another word to Kyoya. As unlikely as his old threat now seemed, she didn't want to push her luck, and she didn't like being mean to people in general.

The group collectively faced the front as the doors opened.

"Welcome, ladies!"

The large beginning group grinned and flooded the music room, giggling and greeting their hosts before Kyoya stepped forward to send them to specific tables. As he did so, the others separated to their own tables for the day. Jacklyn walked over to the piano bench and sat down, waiting for her usual guest to arrive. It didn't take long.

"Hello, Jacklyn!" The American smiled widely at Nachi, as she walked over. The shy girl was now not only her client, but also one of her friends here at Ouran. They might not have class together, but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy each other's company at the host club.

"Hello!" The other brunette sat down quickly and shot a look at the hosts over her shoulder before returning her attention to her friend. She still wanted to talk to the hosts, it was obvious, but at the same time she was both too nervous to do so and enjoyed talking to Jacklyn.

"So, what are you playing first today?

Jacklyn shrugged and straightened out her piano music behind her, "'Part of Your World'. Kyle Landry again. I'm starting to worry that the girls are eventually going to get sick of hearing his music all the time."

Nachi shook her head, "No way! But if you're getting tired of it, then perhaps you can sing again."

Jacklyn smiled shyly, "If you think I should... I think I've gotten better."

Her friend smiled widely, but she was picking at her dress, "I'm honestly jealous of you, Jacklyn. I could _never_ do what you're doing."

The American shook her head and spun around to face the piano, "When I first came to this school, I was thinking the exact same thing."

Taking another breath, Jacklyn started the beginning uplifting arpeggios, which quickly lead straight into the first verse. As she progressed, the variations in the song her fingers pulled out weren't very noticeable to the untrained ear. At first. By the time the second chorus approached, her left hand was back at its usual running scales. The tempo rose and fell, as did the volume, making the light song seem to breathe. So much so that by the time the four minute piece was done, Jacklyn felt a little breathless herself. Her fingers fell lightly on the keys one last time before sliding off.

Polite applause greeted her before the conversations picked up again, but Jacklyn didn't mind anymore. Her whole purpose here was to provide background music. And while her pieces were a little more applause worthy than was probably expected of her, now that the girls and hosts were used to the songs she played for them, sometimes their conversations carried on while she played. And if it meant that the girls weren't upset at her "stealing" their host time, then more power to them. Jacklyn was just glad that she could now play a piece without feeling like she was going to pass out.

"That was beautiful, Jacklyn! I haven't heard that one before." Jacklyn felt a small blush of pride warm her cheeks at the praise. She was still getting used to hearing it.

"Thanks. I practiced it a lot over the weekend to get it just right." She lifted a hand to pull the piano cover back down before deciding against in and spinning back around to face her friend. She clasped her hands in her lap with a sharp sound, "Alright, million yen question, how'd you do on your paper?"

Nachi beamed and pulled three crisp looking pages that were stapled together out of her bag and handed them over. Jacklyn looked down at the red 150/150 mark at the top of the page and laughed.

"A perfect score! You did it!"

"Well, technically _we_ did it. You helped me a lot."

"Oh please," Jacklyn flipped the pages reading the remarks Nachi's teacher had written down, "I couldn't come up with something like this to save my life! All of my "characters" have to be based off of someone in real life or they suck. Your characters are phenomenal!"

Nachi reached forward and pointed out a certain remark, "Yeah, but you're the one who came up with the plot twist, remember? Mr. Kokan said that it came out of nowhere yet fit the story perfectly!"

Jacklyn snook her head again and handed the paper back, "I'm still not sure whether to congratulate you on that ending or be worried."

The other brunette smiled softly and stuck it back in her bag, "Well, I knew that everyone else was going to have a happy ending, so I decided to run the other way."

"You ended with the apocalypse."

"Which is a really cool ending if you think about it."

Jacklyn shook her head and looked away, as if considering whether her friend was insane or not, and found herself locking eyes with a girl. She was another brunette, though her hair was cut short in a sort of bob with a bow pinned in the back.

The moment Jacklyn looked back at her, the girl whipped her head back around to face the twins. The American blinked, not quite sure what to think, because she almost could've sworn that the girl had been _glaring_ at her.

"Jacklyn? You okay?"

"Hm?" She faced her friend again, "Yeah, I guess."

Nachi took a look at Miss Bow herself, "Was Usagi Ichioka staring at you?"

Jacklyn rolled her shoulders back, an uncomfortable feeling settling around her, "Yeah, a little bit, I think. You know her?"

"Kind of. She's in Class 3-B and her parents own their own cosmetics company. She's rich… but she never had the highest grades." Nachi kept her voice low, but by the way Usagi's head was moving around, Jacklyn had a feeling the girl knew they were talking about her.

"I just hope she's not upset because the music was too loud or something."

"Well… maybe she was just bored and wondering whether she should come over to talk to you instead? I mean, just look at her hosts."

Jacklyn took another glance to the right and saw the twins standing a little ways away from their table, holding each other close. Maybe Kaoru tripped or something? Still, Nachi's suggestion didn't seem to exactly justify the glare she'd been receiving earlier.

"Yeah… maybe. So should we, I dunno, invite her over?"

However, just at that moment, Usagi turned to face the other client sitting beside her on the plush couch, "Now that the boys are distracted, I have a question."

The other client seemed surprised to be spoken to, but she answered anyways, "Um, a question, Ichioka-senpai?"

"Yes, but I want your honest opinion."

"Okay then. Um, about what?"

"The American."

Jacklyn felt like her entire upper body had become encased in ice. _That didn't sound very good._ Before she eavesdropped on something she didn't want to hear, Jacklyn gently turned back towards Nachi. The girl in front of her was looking at her hands, pretending like she hadn't heard, but not very convincingly.

"So… do you have any particular requests today? Singing or otherwise?"

Nachi looked up, trying to hide her nervous face, "I'm not… I'm not sure. What songs do you have that you can play and sing to?"

The brunette smiled a little stronger and started rooting through her bag, "Not many. Some songs I can only do one or the other, but I think I have something..."

The surprised voice spoke again, "You mean… Jacklyn? What about her?"

"Well, for starters, why is she still here? I mean, didn't Kyoya say that if we didn't like her they'd get rid of her? What happened that that promise, then?"

"Uh... I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Well, I think it's because she's kissing up the boys, but I'm not sure how. She's obviously only using them anyways. Didn't you notice how popular she became after she joined the host club? But if that were the case, since she's popular now, I figured she'd leave the club already but she hasn't. So I just want to know what you think is going on."

The words scraped against Jacklyn's eardrums, but she pressed her smile more firmly against her face, "Does 'the Piano Man' sound good?"

Before her friend could agree or disagree, the other girl at the table spoke up, "Look, Ichioka-senpai… I think you're being a little unfair. Jacklyn is really nice and talented. She wasn't even interested in joining the host club at first. The hosts had to convince her for a while before she agreed."

"Uh huh. That's probably what she wants us to think."

"Oh, come on, Ichioka-san." A third voice came from the twin's table, "What could Prout-san have possibly done to make you dislike her so much?"

"Are you joking? It's because she's nothing like what you think she is! Think about it. It's obvious that Kyoya-kun doesn't like her at all, so all I'm wondering is what she's doing for the other boys to keep herself in this club."

"Ichioka-senpai, I think she can hear you…"

There was a brief pause before Jacklyn heard, "I don't care. Maybe now she'll get the hint and leave the boys alone."

Jacklyn felt frozen in her seat. A similar feeling from two weeks ago started creeping through her veins. Maybe she had a thing against people lying about her and how she acted?

"Um… Jacklyn? I think you have some more guests coming over. Should I-"

"No. Nachi… why don't you just stay here for a moment longer. Please?" If her friend looked uncomfortable with that request at all, she didn't show it.

A minute later, two girls stopped just beside Jacklyn's couch, "Hi, Jacklyn!" The brunette tried to make her returning smile seem not as forced.

"Hello, ladies. I hope you don't mind, but I've asked Nachi here to stay for a little while longer today. Is that alright?"

"It's fine!"

The two girls sat down beside the shy girl and were quick to introduce themselves, "I'm Akiko Fuwa and this is Ena Hasimoto, Class 2-C. What was your name again?"

Nachi gave the girls a small smile, "Nachi Ichihara. Class 1-B."

Once the three were sort of antiquated, they turned back to their 'host' and Akiko leaned forward, her excitement returning, "Jacklyn! I was wondering if you could you sing for us again?"

She nodded and went to ask what song they wanted when a certain girl appeared in the corner of her eye. Usagi was glaring at her again. Her words hit Jacklyn's memory like a bullet train and her anger increased. Maybe she could tell Tamaki what had been said and if the twins had overheard they could vouch for her. But then again... that might only convince the clients that Jacklyn _was_ calling on favors from the boys to get what she wanted.

Piles of frustration built up inside until an evil plan popped into view. For once, Jacklyn was going to be... mean.

"Sure thing… but there's this one song that I've been dying to try. It's one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs. Do you mind?"

The girls shake their heads simultaneously and settle deeper into the couch, waiting patiently. Nodding, the brunette picked up the MP3 she'd set aside earlier and powered in on. A few more taps and she was scrolling through her karaoke playlist. After the first day of just humming a few beginning chords while she sang, she had decided to _never again_ sing without some background music. Thank goodness for karaoke.

Her gaze flicked to Usagi before she pressed play.

" _You, with your words like knives and swords and weapons that you use against me_

 _You, have knocked me off my feet again, got me feeling like a nothing_

 _You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard calling me out when I'm wounded_

 _You, picking on the weaker man…_

 _Well you can take me down with just one single blow_

 _But you don't know what you don't know_ "

Nachi's eyes grew bigger and bigger with each sentence. She was switching from watching Jacklyn to glancing to her left, but she was starting to smile.

" _Someday, I'll be, living in a big ole city_

 _And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

 _Someday, I'll be, big enough so you can't hit me_

 _And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

 _Why you gotta be so mean?_ "

Jacklyn licked her lips during the break and noticed the other guests were watching her with curiosity, probably confused as to why this was my favorite song. Nachi seemed to notice as well, because she bit at her lower lip for a split second before leaning over and whispering in Ena's ear. The girl gasped as the next verse started.

" _You, with your switching sides, and your wildfire lies and your humiliation_

 _You, have pointed out my flaws again as if I don't already see them_

 _I walk with my head down, trying to block you out 'cause I'll never impress you_

 _I, just wanna feel okay again!_

 _I bet you got pushed around, somebody made you cold_

 _But the cycle ends right now 'cause you can't lead me down that road_

 _And you don't know what you don't know_

 _Someday, I'll be, living in a big ole city_

 _And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

 _Someday, I'll be, big enough so you can't hit me_

 _And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

 _Why you gotta be so mean?_ "

Ena had whispered to Akiko while Jacklyn sang and now the two were watching with more interest, even a hint of respect in their eyes. A few muffled giggles were drifting from the twin's table.

" _And I can see you years from now in a bar, talking over a football game_

 _With that same big loud opinion but, nobody's listening_

 _Washed up and ranting about the same, old, bitter things…_

 _Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing…_ "

She turned her head to stare directly at Usagi, " _But all you are is mean._ "

The girl looked ready to start throwing things, but the other teens at her table were the ones snickering. Even the twins were smiling.

" _All you are is mean!_ "

Jacklyn's face switched into a sort of pout, " _And a liar. And pathetic. And alone in life!_ "

Usagi stood up abruptly and started marching towards the door, so she raised her voice after her retreating back, " _And mean. And mean. And mean. And mean!_ "

 _BOOM!_

Pressing pause, Jacklyn let the sound of the doors shutting hang in the air for a few moments before sighing and turing back to her guests. The three girls were watching her with awe. Giving them a soft smile, she resumed the song with a softer voice, " _But someday, I'll be, living in a big ole city_

 _And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

 _Someday, I'll be, big enough so you can't hit me_

 _And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

 _Why you gotta be so-_

 _Someday, I'll be, living in a big ole city_

 _And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

 _Someday, I'll be, big enough so you can't hit me_

 _And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

 _Why you gotta be so mean?_ "

Her guests as well as the twin's table applauded as she turned off her music. Jacklyn smiled half-heartedly, not especially proud of what she'd done, even if she had only done it to stand up for herself.

"Jacklyn? I have a question."

"Shoot."

"Why didn't you just tell the hosts what she's said about you?"

The brunette sighed and brought one leg up to rest across her lap, "If I'd done that, then that would've only encouraged the idea that I'm using the boys for my personal gain... and now, hopefully, people at this school will begin to understand that I can stand up for myself." She smiled a little bigger, "I don't need protection."

"Hm, well, that's nice to hear. Ladies, could you excuse us for a moment?"

Jacklyn froze in her seat and looked up with dread. Kyoya didn't return the gaze, instead scribbling in his journal with a displeased look on his face while her guests and Nachi stood and left. Her friend waved, but shared Jacklyn's nervous look. Once the two were alone, Kyoya glared at the musician.

"Since you don't need protection, then I might as well charge you extra for that last stunt of yours. A full 100,000¥ to your debt, Miss Prout."

Jacklyn winced, but she could still feel the last remnants of courage racing through her body. She wasn't scared, just put out. But it wasn't like she could take back her actions and just go the other way. So she could now either accept her punishment or come up with a way to soften the blow.

"Oh..." her back straightened up as an idea blossomed in her head, "How about a compromise, instead?"

The ravenet eyed the girl with disinterest, pencil skating across the paper, "What sort of deal might that be?" Jacklyn felt her lips twitch. As long as Kyoya agreed to listen to her, she had a shot.

"I'll give you a brilliant cosplay idea if you don't add to my debt," Kyoya's pencil stopped dead. He didn't look at her at first though. She watched as his eyes shifted around the paper in his journal, practically seeing the gears and calculators at work in his head. One cosplay idea, a self-proclaimed brilliant one... and a debt-extension forgiven in return.

"And what sort of idea would that be?"

Her smirk grew into a full blown smile, "Mardi Gras."

Kyoya's journal snapped shut.

* * *

 **Ugh. I kind of hate this chapter, but I needed to introduce her singing voice and lead into Mardi Gras. Hopefully next chapter will be better.**

 **Sorry if Jacklyn seems OOC for this chapter, but keep in mind its' been two weeks since the last chapter** _ **and**_ **she's broken through a few more of her "personality barriers". She's becoming a tough cookie.**

 **Read, review, favorite, follow, whatever you want. I'm just glad you read it.**

 **See you next chapter!**


	8. September 29th

**Hello, everyone! Here's my last chapter re-update for my old readers. From now on it's back to new story lines and actual updates! I hope you like the changes.**

 **Anywho, let's move on and take a look at how the host club manages Mardi Gras, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. I don't. Period. I own Jacklyn, but that is hopefully a given.**

* * *

"Jac-chan! Be careful up there, okay?"

"I will, Honey-senpa-woah!" The brunette gripped tightly to the ladder she was standing on as the twins ran around it, Hikaru holding a cat-like mask to his face and chasing his brother.

"Haha! I'm gonna get you!"

"Hikaru, cut it out!"

The redheads laughed and ducked around the ladder, unknowingly making it shake violently with their playing. Jacklyn leaned over the top of the ladder to keep her hold on it, "Guys! Stop it!"

Her warning was too late, however, and the ladder started tilting backwards. She opened her mouth to scream, but before she could the ladder lurched back to the upright position, bending Jacklyn over the top at the sudden movement. Air rushed out of her lungs when her diaphragm was struck and she gasped to try forcing it back in.

Once her eyes opened back up, she found herself staring straight down at Mori-senpai. His blank face, which was somehow simultaneously showed a hint of concern, looked back at her from his spot the ground.

"Thanks," the brunette gasped at him before unfolding herself from over the ladder. She turned her head to look around the room and see if anyone had noticed the near-death experience. Honey was telling off the twins for being so careless in their play, but her actual classmates were on the other side of the room discussing the contents of a large box.

 _Wonder what they're doing over there… they've been like that for a while now._

"Jac-chan, are you alright?"

Shaking her head to refocus on her original task, Jacklyn smiled down at the 2nd year student, "I'm okay, Honey-senpai. I'm just glad I'm done after this strand!"

The brown-haired girl received a nod in return before she looked up at the pillar she was set up beside. Reaching up delicately, making sure to remain as balanced as possible on the ladder while both of her hands were busy, she looped a string of LED string lights around the pillar. Repeating the process twice more, Jacklyn was left with the tail end of the string and quickly knotted it around the rest of the lights. Once it was tight enough to not come apart without some additional assistance, Jacklyn started climbing back down.

The moment she was no longer fifteen feet above ground, she called out, "Let's turn these guys on!"

The twins, anxious to get away from their Senpai who was still giving them the evil-eye, were quick to run to the front of the room where the many connected light strands were plugged in. Hikaru knelt down by the large box that Jacklyn had connected to the plug and used his thumb to flick the switch from left to right.

When he looked back up at the room, the pillars were shining brightly with the sparkling LED lights. There were even a few here and there along the string that flickered on and off like fireflies. The strands were wrapped around the top of each pillar before winding down, wrapping around the base, and winding back up in a criss-cross pattern before traveling through the air to connect to the next pillar across the room. The final result were lines of sparkling lights above their heads in a 'Z' shape, over and over from the front to the back of the room.

"That's good, you two! You can shut them off now!"

The red-head didn't really want to, but with a nod from his brother Hikaru sadly turned the lights off. The brunette nodded before looking around the rest of the room. There were large black curtains pinned together in front of the windows, making sure that not a single sliver of outside light managed to squeak its way into the room. In front of the black curtains were pseudo buildings, making the entire room look like an open courtyard. The lanterns she had ordered were inbound, apparently, so she wasn't worried at the moment.

Jacklyn tilted her head back to look up at the ceiling. She's managed to convince Kyoya to let her order _one last little thing_ for the final hit of today's cosplay. The ceiling had been covered by special tiles that had been installed by a group of professionals yesterday and now was completely black save for the florescent lights that still shined down. She had wanted to test the new tiles before the club opened for the afternoon, but if she wanted to surprise the boys just as much as the girls she'd have to wait until the last moment.

"Miss Prout? A word?"

Kyoya didn't sound especially pleased, but Jacklyn walked over to him anyways. He and Tamaki were standing over a cardboard box, the blond looking inside with a confused but interested look, while the ravenet stared at the approaching girl.

"I do believe you said that you had a 'brilliant' cosplay?"

"Calm down, Ootori, it's not finished yet."

Kyoya cast a judgmental eye around the room, so Jacklyn turned her attention to the other boy, "Tamaki, what are you looking at?"

"We're trying to figure out what these fabrics are. Are they flags or something?"

"Um… I don't think so," Jacklyn walked over to pull one of the pieces out, "I didn't order any- oh!"

"Oh? Oh, what? What are they?"

She smiled, "Our clothes."

Tamaki stared at her, then at the purple, yellow, and green overcoat in her hands, "Oh… really? Well, then, ah… whose is whose?"

"Er… let me see." Jacklyn flipped the lid of the box back over and read over the list of cosplays the company said it had shipped, "Yours, actually. Tamaki, you've got the 'king' outfit." She handed over the cloth in her hand, "The black pants and shirt on the top left of the box are yours, as well as the crown."

Tamaki slowly collected the indicated outfit into his arms, looking fairly nervous.

The twins walked over to the changing rooms and waved him in, "Onwards our _fearless_ king! Show us what fate awaits our little host club in Jacklyn's latest attempt to integrate into our society!"

Jacklyn frowned, "You know, you could at least _pretend_ to be excited. Mardi Gras is supposed to be a big celebration."

The twins shrugged, "We've never been, so we wouldn't know."

"Besides, those outfits look really…" Kaoru trailed off at he looked at Jacklyn's face before changing his word choice at the last second, "...dumb."

"And the colors clash!"

They only received a shrug, "That's how they do it. I've never been to one either, but that doesn't mean I don't know about it. And the colors-"

"I LOVE IT!" The six high schoolers jumped as Tamaki exploded out of the changing room in full cosplay. He strutted around in a circle, showing off the many colors. His black shirt and pants made his overcoat stand out that much more, as it was mainly patterned with bright green and yellow diamonds with thick streaks of purple down the sides. The large crown atop his head was no less extravagant.

The twins felt like they should be laughing because the outfit was, in every sense of the word, ridiculous, but at the same time it strangely fit in with the rest of the room. Jacklyn had already strewn glitter and confetti across the floor and the cardboard buildings, making it look like some huge party had come rolling through, leaving nothing but colorful chaos in its wake. Tamaki's outfit definitely portrayed a similar feeling.

Jacklyn was smiling widely as she held out a white mask, "Here's your mask for the evening. Now," she smiled at the other boys, her eyes twinkling mischievously, "Who's next?"

*Timeskip*

"Miss Prout, the guests are due to arrive in less than two minutes. Is everything set up?"

Said girl spun around in place and gave the music room one last once-over. There was glitter and confetti scattered across the floor but not accidentally piled up anywhere. Beads and masks were placed strategically on the couches and tables for the guest's amusement. It looked like a huge parade had already come through the little "town square". Perfect.

"It looks great. Now all that's left are the lights."

"Can I get them this time, Jac-chan? _Please?_ "

She smiled and jerked her head towards the switch, "Sure, Honey-senpai. Go ahead."

The small boy cheered and ran back to the light-strand switch. As he did so, Jacklyn gave his outfit another glance. Of course she had gone with a cute look for the Boy Lolita, selecting a green and purple checkered vest with pink cuffs over a white button-shirt and equally white pants and shoes. His pink mask was pushed up out of his face, so the tall bunny ears were poking straight back from the top of his head.

The seventeen year old made quick work of turning the LED lights on before rushing back to the center of the room and his cousin's side. Mori was dressed in an outfit similar to Honey's, except his button-up shirt and pants and shoes were black, and his vest's cuffs were a bright yellow. His mask was settled over his eyes already, a dark blue that shimmered every time he tilted his head, which gave off the impression that he was moving a lot more than usual.

"Well, Jacklyn-senpai?"

"Are we all set?"

The brunette grinned and held up two fingers, "Only two more things left. First, the lamps..." and with that, Jacklyn grabbed a small, hand-held remote from the neighboring table and clicked a button. Instantly the lanterns that had been brought into the room while the hosts changed into their cosplays turned on. Warm light spilled onto the floor and the fake shop windows, but still let the center of the room be lit up primary by the LED lights. The glitter sparkled colorfully against the tan tiles and blinked with light at every new angle you stared at them. The boys looked around appreciatively, but were also a little confused.

"Miss Prout, why do we need these lights on? It is bright enough with the overhead lights to see just fine without these... extra pieces." Kyoya frowned and tugged at the bottom hem of his vest. While he would never, _ever_ say what he was feeling aloud, he was mildly thankful to Jacklyn that she had not tried to shove him into a ridiculous costume.

His was actually very simple. Black everything except for his vest, which was also black but with dark green and purple stripes going up and down. A few light-purple roses also dotted the fabric. He had yet to put on his mask, which was as black as his hair, but he had a feeling that when he did put in on later, it wouldn't look as stupid as he originally thought it would.

But what was more surprising than Kyoya's approval of his cosplay, was that at his expected critique, the musician only giggled, "Who said we were going to keep the overhead lights on?" Without further adieu, Jacklyn pressed another button on the remote and all the lights above them went out. At the sudden lack of bright lights, all the boys looked up and gasped.

Now, instead of large fluorescent lights beating down on the room, the ceiling was dotted with tiny specks of light that resembled-

"Stars... they look like stars."

"Mhm," Jacklyn nodded her head and smiled at the ceiling, "Mardi Gras at night. Thought it would make this cosplay even more magical. Do you like it?"

The boys nodded mutely. Jacklyn had really put a lot of thought into this idea, hadn't she? And it was a _damn good_ idea. The girls were going to absolutely love this. Even the twins took a second look at their outfits, now with a less critical eye.

They had on matching clothes again, and it pretty much looked like a black one piece with very frilly yellow and red sleeves (elbow to wrist) and pants (knees to ankles). Now, with only the LED lights and the lanterns to shine on them, the colors and shape didn't seem as stupid.

"You know what, Jacklyn?" Tamaki's voice brought the boy's attention back to their musician. As the brunette waited for the final critique, she lightly gripped her dress fabric with her hands. The purple full length dress she was now wearing had been the only 'Mardi Gras cosplay dress' she'd been comfortable with wearing, and she was glad that it still fit the theme. The top part was a very light purple, almost white at the sleeves, and gently darkened until it was a deep plum at the hem where her silver sandals peeked out. Said sandals matched the silver bands wrapped gently around her right arm and the silver mask with purple gems stuck around the edge she had waiting for her by the piano.

Tamaki regarded his friend for a moment longer before smiling, "I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

Sharing a grin, the twins pulled their masks down over their faces, Hikaru with orange and Kaoru with a light blue one, "Let's get this party started!"

At that, Jacklyn rushed over to the center chair and sat down lightly on the arm. The moment after she settled down, the doors creaked open. A few gasps came from the opening as the girls got their first look at the magical scene. Grinning broadly, the seven members of the host club straightened their posture.

"Welcome to Mardi Gras, ladies!"

There were notably less squeals as the girls made their way into the room. They were all too busy looking around the transformed setting with wide eyes and huge smiles. Jacklyn counted it as a win.

Tamaki stood up and spread his arms, which was Jacklyn's cue to quickly sneak back towards her piano, "My dears! Tonight we are taking part of the well renown American celebration, Mardi Gras. A night of festivities and music and color! Let us be your guide as we experience the magic of New Orleans..."

Jacklyn's fingers immediately began dancing over the black and white keys. A bouncy tune was pounded out, a little slow at first, but it picked up a little speed as she went through the introduction. Looking over her shoulder to see everyone's eyes on her, she smiled and turned back around.

Shoving her jitters down, she took a deep breath and leaned forward towards the newly install microphone.

" _In the South Land, there's a city_

 _Way down on the river_

 _Where the women are very pretty_

 _And all the men deliver_ "

As she sang, Kyoya began sorting the guests to their beginning hosts silently, as everyone felt captured by the song lyrics and Jacklyn's voice. A few of them had never actually heard her voice before, and it was beautiful!

" _They got music, it's always playing_

 _Start in the day time, go all through the night!_

 _And when you hear that music playin'_

 _Hear what I'm saying, it make you feel alright!_

 _Grab somebody, come on down!_

 _Bring your paintbrush, we're paintin' the town!_

 _Honey, there's some sweetness goin' 'round!_

 _Catch it down in New Orleans!_ "

At the slight music break, the girls walked to their seats, admiring the way the floor sparkled beneath their feet or pulling one of the spare masks on themselves and giggling. A few of them had even noticed the star like ceiling and were quick to point it out to others.

" _We got magic, good and bad_

 _Make you happy or make you real sad._

 _Get everything you want, and lose what you had_

 _Down here in New Orleans!_

 _Hey partner, don't be shy!_

 _Come on down here and give us a try_

 _You wanna do some livin' before you die!_

 _Do it down in New Orleans!_ "

There was another music interlude, and Jacklyn grabbed the microphone off its stand and turned around. There wasn't much piano playing at this point, so she decided to not even bother. The extra music from her MP3 that was hooked up to the speaker as well covered the final lyrics just fine.

" _Stately homes and mansions_

 _Of the Sugar Barons and the Cotton Kings..._ "

She gestured to the room at large, " _Rich people_ ," then to herself, " _Poor people, all got dreams..._

 _Dreams do come true in New O~rleans._ "

She took a bow as the final notes played out on the MP3 and the entire room applauded her. A small laugh bubbled out of her chest at all the smiles she was receiving. Even Kyoya, from his far shadowy corner of the room nodded politely towards her before clapping a few times himself.

The applause died down and Jacklyn took a seat on the piano bench once more, taking in a few deep breaths but still smiling stupidly.

"That was amazing, Jacklyn!"

Grinning broadly at Nachi as she sat down, Jacklyn tucked some of her hair behind her ear, "You really think so?"

"Absolutely! That was a great song. And the line where you went 'Where the women are very pretty and all the men deliver'? Perfect! If that's not what the Host Club is about, then I don't know what is!"

The two brunettes laughed together before Akiko and Ena walked up, "Hi, Jacklyn! We decided to come early today and sit with both you and Nachi! Is that alright?"

Jacklyn nodded, "Of course!" The two blondes sat down quickly and began chatting.

"That was a great song, Jacklyn! Have you ever considered becoming a professional singer?"

"Yeah! You could probably land a great singing career if you wanted! Easily!"

The American merely smiled and shook her head, "Probably not. It's not in my plan. I'm looking for a career where my math skills would come in handy. If I could have a job where I did nothing but play around with numbers all day, I'd be happy."

The three girls nodded, "I suppose that's reasonable, but if you ever change your mind..." Jacklyn laughed lightly. These girls really believed in her, didn't they? It was heartwarming.

"So, Jacklyn, we heard that you came up with today's cosplay, is that right?"

"Yup! I've always wanted to go to Mardi Gras, and this seemed like a good way to do it... kind of."

Ena tilted her head, "You've never been to Mardi Gras?"

Her host shrugged, "Honestly, I've been to maybe four or five states, maximum, and Louisiana is not one of them. My family never really had much time to travel."

"Oh... then what did you do for fun?" Jacklyn hummed and leaned back a bit. _What did I do for fun before the Host Club? Exactly_ how _did I fill up my Host Club-less and homework-less hours before Japan? Why is it so hard to remember..._

"Um, the first thing that comes to mind is reading. And writing. I used to read a lot back in America, and if I really got into a book I could probably finish it in less than two days. The writing just came with time."

Nachi smiled to herself, but Jacklyn still caught it. Perhaps one of the main contributors to their friendship was their identical love for reading and writing. Jacklyn smiled before tapping her toes against the ground.

"Other than that... I guess there's drawing, even though I only recently started getting better at it. And there was Marching Band, but that was only for the fall, and Winter Guard in the winter. I guess I've always had some extracurricular activity to take up most of my free time."

Akiko leaned forward, "Jacklyn, I'm curious, what was your home in America like?"

At that question, the brunette paused in the middle of a smile, "My home? Like... what was my house like?"

"I guess, but I'm more interested in your town and culture. How different was your hometown from here? Is there anything that surprised you?"

Jacklyn blinked, "You girls are starting to get to the deep questions." She hummed and sat back, thinking it over.

"Let's see... well Japan is definitely more crowded than my home. I live in a small town in Michigan called Shepard, but my parents sent me to school in Mount Pleasant, which was the next town over. We sort of moved from one town to the next and since I was already in Mount Pleasant's school system, it was just easier to let me stay there. I also spent a lot of my time there because it's a lot bigger than Shepard... which isn't saying much. Shepard's a _really_ small town. Other than during the Maple Syrup Festival I spent most of my free time in Mount Pleasant. During the winter I'd stay at the public library for hours on end. In the summer I'd walk around the downtown area or hang out at the parks. Spring and Fall... I sort of juggled my time between all three places depending on the weather or how much free time I had. I was almost never home.

"Culture wise, it's a bit difficult to say. America is a really big mixture of cultures from around the world. There were even a few things I found here in Japan that weren't completely new to me. Religion, music, cuisine, genetics... there's no telling what you'll find around America. I mean, just look at me! I'm part English, Norwegian, German, Prussian, Hungarian, French, and Italian! I think there's even some Spanish somewhere down the line. One of my favorite foods is Italian and my second favorite is Russian! So, I suppose the American culture is a worldwide culture."

Nachi smiles, "Wow, I never thought of it like that. You sound very proud of your country. I'd be proud, too."

Before Jacklyn could respond, Ena giggled, "I guess the stereotype that Americans are super patriotic wasn't that far off, huh?" Her smile wavered as the musician stared at her before doubling over, laughing.

"Okay! Uh, *ahem*, no. Not really. Look, I'm going to let you girls in on a little secret, alright? No one may love America more than Americans, but no one _hates_ America as much as Americans. Do I love how my country's a melting pot? Yeah, a bit. But am I super proud of everything we've done? No. Not in the strictest definition." She smiled and leaned back on her hands, "I haven't exactly been keeping up with the other American stereotypes, so what's one more?"

Her three guests seemed a little surprised at the newest revelation. Jacklyn didn't mind. In fact, she's come to enjoy proving some of the American stereotypes wrong. It was always nice to see someone start to look at your country in a better light than they used to.

As the three girls thought it over, Jacklyn's gaze raked the rest of the room. Just as she had hoped, the Mardi Gras idea had been a good one. The other hosts and guests were clearly enjoying themselves and the atmosphere, laughing and chatting amicably. Even Kyoya's guests were working smiles from their host, despite them being clearly fake. Jacklyn watched him for a moment and, like he somehow knew, Kyoya glanced back at her. He regarded her for a moment before nodding at the piano beside her before turning back to the girls at his own table.

Frowning at the clear indicator that Kyoya still saw her as no more than some sort of underling, Jacklyn spun around on the piano bench to face the keys. Immediately the conversation behind her ceased, replaced by anticipated silence. _Geez, you'd think they'd never heard music before me._

Still, the idea that her guests really enjoyed listening to her playing gave Jacklyn her good mood back. Throwing her silver and purple mask on, she threw a smile at the girls over her shoulder, "Well, like the song said, 'We got music, it's always playing'. This one is called 'Tiger Rag', so you'd better grab your suit jackets and trumpets, ladies! Today is all about Jazz."

* * *

 **Hooray for Mardi Gras! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Read, favorite, follow, review, whatever you want!**

 **See you next chapter!**


	9. October 8th

**Hello readers! So, I've finally gotten off my ass and actually wrote out this chapter. It's one you've probably been waiting for, Tamaki and Jacklyn's piano duet! Yay! I hope I portrayed it well!**

 **Disclaimer: I** _ **only**_ **own Jacklyn Prout. Nothing else.**

* * *

"Let's all play the 'Which one of us is Hikaru' game!"

Jacklyn lifted her head from its bowed position over her math book, "What did they just say? What game?"

Tamaki, who was sitting across from the girl at the moment, smiled and looked over at the twins, "It's a little game we play at the club every once in a great while. Since the twins are identical, they like to challenge the guests to try and tell them apart. It's impossible, of course, but it's fun for the girls at least."

The brunette tilted her head and stared at the twins. They had a pair of white caps pressed to the tops of their heads, covering up where they parted their hair. But…

"It's not impossible…"

"Hm? Oh, you're talking about the 50/50 chance, right? Well, for some odd reason, the twins can always tell when someone gets it right by dumb luck. That's why they never take those caps off until _much_ later, just in case the girls get lucky."

"That's not what I'm talking about. I know which one of them is which, easily."

For a moment, the two sat in silence and watched the pair of redheads from across the room. The girls made a quiet guess, which the two couldn't hear from Tamaki's spot for the day, and the twins declared them incorrect.

"How?"

"Their bangs point in different directions."

Tamaki glanced between his American friend and the twins a few times, back and forth, until smacked his forehead, "How did we overlook that?"

"Hey, calm down! No one's noticed it yet. The game still works, I just thought you should know that little slip up."

The two watched the game for a few more seconds before Tamaki cast conspiratorial glances left and right and leaned over the table, " _Speaking of accidental slip ups, when are we doing it again?_ "

" _3:55. Two more minutes if you want to back out._ "

" _Absolutely not._ "

Nodding, the girl stood up and walked over to the piano. Along the way she was waved at by the girls scattered around the room, but didn't stop to chat with the guests. Everyone knew the piano player's schedule by now and were already discussing what song they thought she'd perform today as she migrated across the room. She sat down on the piano bench and Nachi looked up from her spot on the couch.

It hadn't really surprised anyone that Nachi had become the first guest of the host club to be allowed to stay for the entire two hours. Mainly because she was a client of Jacklyn, who didn't have many guests to begin with, but also because she was completely fine with her 'host' not being around the whole time. She mainly entertained herself with writing in her journal when Jacklyn was off being a waitress or speaking with the other hosts. Jacklyn was secretly thrilled that her friend was coming out of her shell little by little, finding it easier to talk to Jacklyn's other guests when they came along and apparently talking with her own classmates more.

"So, what are you playing today, Jacklyn?"

The brunette felt her cheek muscles twitch, trying to keep from laughing, "Just a little Frozen. Nothing too big today."

Nachi nodded and shifted in her seat, getting settled with her new writing journal resting gently on her lap. Jacklyn spun around on the bench and lifted her eyes to the clock.

3:54

Wait, scratch that. 3:55

Smiling brightly, she shot a peek at the blond who was now watching her with rapt attention. Turning back to the piano, she began bouncing her fingers on the keys in practiced motions. Unlike most of her other pieces, she had spent a rather long time memorizing the piece, and just last week she'd gotten it _down._ It was a point of pride for her.

 _Love is an Open Door_ floated through the air, pulling out a few giggles as the guests as the recognize the piece. However, she was more focused on the sound of footsteps approaching her. Just so long as their timing hadn't gotten off-

A body plopped down hard beside her on the bench.

Even though she'd been expecting it, she "jumped" and let her fingers falter. A loud gasp rippled through the room as Jacklyn's playing stopped with a jolt. She looked up at her taller classmate who smiled and gestured for her to continue.

Sighing, she turned back to the piano and picked up where she left off. Over the top of the piano, she saw Kyoya stalking over to them, glasses glinting maliciously. His face was _particularly_ priceless when Tamaki suddenly ran his fingers down the piano in a gliss before playing along to Jacklyn's melody.

Behind the two 1st years the girls started clapping, laughing aloud at this rare treat. But that transferred back into horrified gasps when Tamaki eagerly scooted to the middle of the bench, switching the piece to _For the First Time in Forever_ … and sliding Jacklyn onto the floor. The brunette grunted softly as she pushed herself back up into a sitting position, but the scowl on her face was fake.

Still, she watched the blond for a moment. From this angle, she could see a few beads of sweat dotting his brow as his fingers flashed over the keys. She wasn't surprised. Tamaki had mentioned feeling a little nervous about performing for the host club. Most of the students currently in the room didn't even know Tamaki _could_ play. Jacklyn had done her best to reassure him, but considering he'd put her in the same exact position when she first arrived at this school… there was something oddly satisfying about watching the normally confident blond squirm.

Still, it was almost time, so she stood up and walked up behind the boy. Looking over his shoulder, she adopted a 'begrudging respect' look, as if appraising his playing. But then, with a grin, she placed one hand on his right shoulder and _shoved_. Tamaki went sliding off the bench, ending up in the same spot Jacklyn herself had been a moment ago. A few gasps came up from their audience again, but by this point most of the girls had figured out that this was an act and just laughed at Tamaki's affronted expression.

They watched as Jacklyn started the beginning rhythm of _Do You Wanna Build a Snowman_ with her left hand. Tamaki sat back up and rested his arms on the bench, rapping out the knock on the wood, cueing his friend to turn herself around on the bench and start playing _backwards._

The guests laughed in amazement, grinning widely as Jacklyn bobbed her head to the beat, smiling at Nachi who was watching with her mouth open. Now on her right, Tamaki stood up from the floor and sat down on the bench. Looking behind him, like he was confused, he positioned his hands on the keys once more and began playing backwards with her.

Instantly the girls were squealing again, pulling at each other's arms and unable to peel their eyes away from the bobbing duet. After the lyrics 'watching the hours tick by…' the two lifted their hands off the keys and spun around, clicking their tongues like a clock ticking before diving back at the piano. Their fingers flew around in sync, spinning out ' _Let it Go_ ' from the instrument. Jacklyn jumped out of her seat and moved to Tamaki's other side, taking over the melody on the lower notes while the blond played the upper harmony.

They played there for a moment before Tamaki jumped up himself and Jacklyn pounded out a scale back up the piano. She put her feet on the the ground, however, and felt the bench being removed from behind her calves just before Tamaki rejoined her. The two continued the song, now standing and jumping at the big hits. A breathless laugh escaped Jacklyn's lips, joined by Tamaki before they both abruptly cut off, Jacklyn plucking out the final notes. Tamaki reached over her arm with one hand and pressed down the last note.

As they stood back from the instrument, the entire room stood up and applauded, cheering and a few still giggling. Jacklyn felt her chest swell as she and her partner bowed deeply to their audience. Straightening up, she grinned and held up a hand to the blond, who high-fived her with a laugh.

"Well, Jacklyn? Still feel uncomfortable at the Host Club?"

The brunette rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same as she continued to soak in the standing ovation. _Maybe I won't go home after this year..._

* * *

 **Yeesh, this is a short chapter. I'm sorry for that, especially with the wait. Still, if you like it then good for you, it's only filler work! And, unfortunately, it looks like next chapter is going to be a little filler as well. But I'll try to actually write that one out in less than a month. Again, apologies for that.**

 **And for those curious souls wondering what the piano music sounded like, look up 'Frozen Fever - "Dueling Piano Siblings" Frozen Mashup + Backwards Piano' by Jason Lyle Black. It's really cool.**

 **Warning for next chapter:** _ **HUGE TIMESKIP!**_ **Like, two months are skipped over!**

 **So finish reading, then favorite, follow, or review if you liked it! I always look forward to hearing from my readers.**

 **See you next chapter!**


	10. December 24th

**Hi everyone! *Dodges rocks and rotten tomatoes* Okay, okay, I'm sorry for such a long wait! I've just been busy and I'm really getting into my other stories, I'm _sorry!_ But listen, after this chapter it's going to get a lot nicer and hopefully easier for me to write, so please just hang in there!**

 **Alright, like I warned you last time, this is a** _ **big**_ **time skip. So, a few things you should keep in mind. Jacklyn now has spend another** _ **two months**_ **with the host club. She's friends with all of them except Kyoya (who is still a stick in the mud) and she's really broken out of her shell. Sorry for such a long wait again!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own Jacklyn. Just her.**

* * *

"No, to the left! The _left!_ "

Jacklyn stifled her laughter the best she could, but it was difficult. While Tamaki's request to make the music room more holiday themed for Christmas didn't _seem_ like it would be too much trouble, his best friend was obviously having second thoughts about agreeing to it.

"No, not _that far left!_ "

The brunette snorted but quickly covering it up as a cough and ducked her head behind her textbook. She peeked at the ravenet over the lip of it to catch the tail-end of his glare at her before he returned his attention to the men. She continued to watch as they did their best to shift and rotate an 18-foot tall Christmas tree that was to be center stage of the music room.

To say Jacklyn had been pleased to hear that she would still be able to celebrate her favorite holiday while overseas would've been a vast understatement. She had been upset when she'd first learned that her winter break didn't start until the 26th of December, meaning she was going to spend Christmas at school, but she'd come to accept it. Tomorrow, once she got out of school and host club activities were finished, she'd just stay home for the rest of the day. Maybe Skype with her family if they all had time. Her real Christmas, with her presents and what-not, would be waiting for her on December 30th, when she went home for break.

But it looks like Tamaki had other plans. As soon as their guests had left after today's hosting activities, he'd clapped his hands and a whole slew of maintenance men came through the doors, carting in Christmas trees and boxes upon boxes of holiday decorations. Now, with mountains of fake snow and evergreen trees and tinsel and holly and LED lights set up all around her, Jacklyn felt her usual Christmas spirit awakening.

"Alright, that should be it for the day. Thank you, gentlemen, for your hard work."

The six movers bowed to their 'contractor' before walking out of the room. As the doors shut behind them, the seven hosts took in their fill of the decorations. It truly looked like a Winter Wonderland, and Jacklyn couldn't keep the grin off of her face.

"Well? What do you think?"

The brunette nodded, "It looks perfect, Tamaki. The guests are going to love it."

"Well, that's good, I suppose, but what about you?"

"Hm?"

The blond shrugged, "The hosts and I couldn't help but realize you haven't been your happy, sweet self lately."

"So we figured-"

"-maybe it had to do with you not spending Christmas with your family."

"So we brought Christmas to you!"

Jacklyn's jaw dropped, "You did all of this... for me?"

"Well, the guests will enjoy this set us as well, so not _entirely,_ but it would seem that your provided Tamaki with the original idea."

She ignored the ravenet, eyes shining up at her friends, "Thank you..."

The boy's purple eyes twinkled, "Don't thank me just yet. I have another surprise."

"Oh?"

"Ah, yes, might as well do that now. A- _hem._ Men, and lady, before we go our separate ways this winter break, I wish to extend an invitation to you all. As most of my servers will be spending tomorrow with their families, I wish to have you all at my home to help me decorate and celebrate the holiday with me."

Tamaki smiled widely, waiting for his words to sink in. Truthfully, he'd only just thought of spending Christmas with his club, but he knew it would be a brilliant celebration. They could eat cookies and decorate his house, and none of them would be alone for the holiday. It would be simple enough getting them all over there, they could just pile into his limousine after school was over with. It was perfect!

Jacklyn was the first one to speak up, "You want to… spend Christmas together?"

"Yes!"

"Uh… why?"

"I'm curious as to the differences between celebrating Christmas in France, Japan, and in America, and I wish to experience them with you."

"What about your-" Jacklyn's question was cut off by Honey's furiously shaking head and cleared her throat, "I mean, Tamaki, while this offer is really generous, I'm sure everyone else would like to celebrate Christmas with their own families."

"Actually, our parents are in Hawaii at the moment."

"We were told we could join them once our holiday homework was taken care of."

"My family and Takashi's don't celebrate Christmas."

"Christmas and other holidays aren't especially important to my family either, especially since my sister went off to live with her husband."

Tamaki's eyes widened with hope, "Then you're all coming?"

"Hold up."

"We didn't say _that_ either, Boss."

"Besides," the red heads leaned against each other, "Why should we bother staying in Japan for the holiday? Especially if we're just going to do boring stuff?"

"B-boring?"

"Well, what are we supposed to do? Bake cookies? Sing songs?"

"Why not go to someplace exotic?"

Tamaki looked like the twins had just kicked his puppy across an expressway, "B-but... we should celebrate-"

"No-"

"-thanks."

The blond shoved his lower lip outwards before turning to the other three boys, "Kyoya? Mon Ami?"

"I was planning on getting most of my homework completed in the first few days of break. I do not have the time to entertain you as well."

"Honey-senpai? Mori-senpai?"

"I think my father and uncle were going to host a few tournaments this week. Sorry, Tama-chan, but I don't think we can."

Now the poor boy looked like he was on the verge of tears as he turned to face the last person in the room. Jacklyn was waiting patiently, watching him with her brown eyes as he tried to find the right words to convince her.

"Jacklyn? I know you're going home for winter break, and that you probably miss your family a lot and want to get on your plane as soon as you planned to… but do you think you could spend one extra day in Japan? For me? I'll buy you another plane ticket if you do!"

The other boys were immediately in his face, "Tama-chan! If Jac-chan wants to go home then she should be allowed to go home!"

"Yeah, Boss! Stop trying to guilt trip her!"

"It's your fault for not planning this out sooner! Don't mess up her vacation!"

"Guys?" The boys stopped yelling and looked over at the smiling girl, "I'm not heading to America until the 29th… so I'd actually really like to celebrate Christmas with someone this year instead of being all by myself. Your party sounds like fun, Tamaki! I'm also curious about how people celebrate Christmas in France!" Tamaki grinned broadly, but was interrupted before he could speak.

"Actually, you know what, Kaoru?"

"What, Hikaru?"

"We've been to Hawaii so many times before, so we'd probably get really bored if we spent our _whole_ vacation there."

"You know what? I agree. Boss, count us in for your party!"

"Really?"

Honey jumped up into Jacklyn's lap, leaning backwards to smile up at her, "And since I'm technically not allowed to fight in public any more, I'm sure I can convince my father to let me come! Takashi, too! We're coming to your house, Tama-chan! Should we bring anything?"

"Ah... well, maybe not you, but if you can have someone on standby should we need something delivered-"

"I'm sure I can handle that."

The room went quiet and everyone looked over at Kyoya, who was busy scribbling in his notebook. Realizing everyone's eyes were on him, he glanced up at them all. "Someone has to make sure that you idiots don't burn the place down. The club would crash and burn if you all died in a house fire."

"Mon Ami! I know you're only saying that to act _cool!_ You want to spend time with us!"

"Tamaki! Be careful! We can't return those lights if you _break them!_ "

The remaining four boys quickly joined in on the argument, either trying to break it up or dumping gasoline on it. Soon Tamaki was chasing the twins around the room with a wooden bat, Honey-senpai giggling at the scene, and Mori-senpai and Kyoya watching it all with a blank face. Jacklyn watched them all from her couch, her brain helpfully supplying, _These are the boys you spend your free time with._

As Tamaki finally got close enough to take a swing at the twins, who ducked and tripped him instead, she could't help but grin.

* * *

 **Eh. It's short, but I needed this as a transition chapter. Next one, however, I plan to have it be super long. Just Christmas times with the Host Club!**

 **If you like what you read, please follow, favorite, and review. I love to read reviews!**

 **See you next chapter!**


	11. December 25th

**I 100%, absolutely, completely enjoyed writing this chapter! It is hands down my favorite one from this story thus far! I know Kyoya's a little OOC towards the end, but I think I played it in well enough! I hope you like it!**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own. There, all done.**

* * *

' _January… always brought me down… (Brought, me, down…)_

 _All the magic of December… 's like a circus leaving town…'_

Jacklyn swayed side to side, humming along to one of the Straight No Chaser Christmas CD she'd brought over while her fingers attacked the dessert mixture in front of her. Her hands had fallen into a pattern, one she used so often she barely had to think about it anymore. Scoop up a small portion of the mixture, roll until it's a smooth ball, place on parchment paper, repeat.

As she continued this pattern, she ran a list through her head. _The sugar cookie dough is chilling in the fridge, as are the Oreo balls. We decided against Mexican Wedding Cakes. Gingerbread is up next. Wreaths are setting._

"Jacklyn? When can we cut the cookies?"

The brunette reemerged from her thoughts and turned, smiling at the group of boys sitting further down table. The host club was currently residing in the Suoh 2nd mansion's dining hall, which was the only place with a table big enough for all of them. Jacklyn was at one end, which she had claimed for cookie and christmas treat making, and the boys at the other end were working on decorations.

The doors that led to the sitting room were open, and through them Jacklyn could see the large Christmas tree standing near (but not _too_ near) a roaring fireplace. Placed front and center in said fire was a Yule Log, which Tamaki had insisted on. It was a part of the 'French Christmas' he was bringing to this celebration, and no one was complaining. Especially once he lit it and that heavenly aroma filled the room. Jacklyn couldn't place it, but that might be because she's never smelled a burning log that had been sprinkled with wine beforehand.

The rest of the room and the tree itself looked a little bare, however, as the hosts were still fumbling around with the decorations. The boys couldn't figure out how to untangle the small LED light strands, and there weren't many ornaments to put on the tree (as they only had the few that Tamaki had brought from France and Jacklyn from America) so they were a little lost on what to do.

That, and Honey's only interest was in helping to make/eat the treats Jacklyn was preparing.

"In a bit, Honey-senpai. Once I put the Peanut Butter Balls in the fridge and we make the gingerbread dough, I'll bring out the sugar cookie cut-outs, alright?"

The blond nodded, "Okay! But what should I do now? There's nothing to _doooooo..._ "

"You sound like the twins."

"Hey!"

"We _can_ hear you!"

"See? And if you're bored… then why don't you make a few decorations yourself?"

Honey straightened up, "Make them? Like what?"

Jacklyn shrugged, pushing the filled tray away so she could pull an empty one closer, "I dunno. Paper snowflakes?"

"Snowflakes?"

"Yeah. Take a piece of white paper, fold it into eighths, and cut out a snowflake."

Now _all_ of the boys were looking at her, "You can do that?"

The brunette paused, returning their stares, "Uh… how about you wait for me to finish these, and I'll show you how it's done?"

She wondered if she should be concerned about how eager the boys looked.

*Timeskip*

Twenty minutes later the decoration half of the dining table looked like a scrapbooking bomb had gone off. There were multiple scissors, markers, papers (both cut and untouched), glue sticks, hole punchers, paper plates with small pools of glitter on them, tape, and rolls of string scattered across the polished wood. The seven club members sat in a semi-circle around that half of the table, smiles only a curl away from maniac as they cut out millions and millions of paper snowflakes.

"Hikaru, stop hogging all the silver glitter!"

"Then give me the blue marker!"

The redheads frowned at each other before slowly exchanging the two tools. Jacklyn watched with amusement as Tamaki quickly plucked the marker from Hikaru's grasp before he had a chance to use it, prompting a shouting match between the two boys. Kaoru smirked at his twin and his Senpai before he realized Honey was dipping his snowflake's edges into his plate of silver glitter from under his arm.

"Hey!" The redhead quickly pushed the plate out of the small blond's reach, and Honey let out a small whine, causing his cousin to stand up from across the table and attempt to grab the plate from Kaoru himself.

And yet, despite the seemingly impending chaos about to erupt over a few arts-n-crafts, Jacklyn wasn't concerned in the slightest. After 4 months of being with these insane boys, she was finally able to see the crinkle in the corner of Mori-senpai's eyes, the small quirks of the Hitachiin twin's lips, and the amusement that danced in the two blond's eyes. They weren't going to start attacking each other any time in the near future, they were just finally having fun.

Until Honey-senpai suddenly made a lunge for the paper plate of silver glitter and sent up a small cloud of it over the table.

Jacklyn lets out a short laugh, and it looks like the others are about to follow in her example when a chair abruptly screeched against the floor. The six club members that had remained seated stared up at Kyoya as he glared down at them from the head of the table.

"Right, I think I've had enough of this. If any of you need me, I'll be in the living room finding a way to make these activities actually _beneficial_ to this club." The ravenet turned to walk away, stopped, then stared at the table's occupants out of the corner of his eye, "And if I find one speck of glitter on these clothes, you will all be paying for my laundry bill to remove it."

He stalked to the living room and barely managed to close the doors before Jacklyn chucked the purple marker (that she'd capped) at them. Honey tried to touch her arm in a calming gesture, but the brunette brushed him off. _What the heck? Of all the days to be a jerk, he chooses freaking_ Christmas? _Dude needs to_ lighten up _and take that damn stick out of his ass. It's Christmas! What a freaking Scrooge!_

"Jacklyn? Don't get too mad at Kyoya. I'm sure he'll come around to you eventually."

The brunette rolled her eyes, but didn't respond to her blond classmate. _Yeah, right. I'm sick and tired of him treating me like he just scraped me off the bottom of his shoes. If he wants to hate me and be a jerk then maybe I should give him a_ reason _to. That'll at least make if fair! Maybe I should send him something to get him in the "holiday spirit"?_

Suddenly, an evil idea strikes.

She thought about it, rolled in around in her head, then an equally evil grin spread itself across the American's face.

*Time Skip*

' _I bought it while on vacation in Paris last year, but decided you'd appreciate it more. I hope you like it!_ '

Kyoya skimmed the note before tossing it into the pile on his right, where other small notes or letters were slowly piling up. Carefully opening the box, he reached in and pulled out a very pretty ornament. It was shaped like a bulb, but instead of a sheet of metal it was made of thin wires colored red and blue that crisscrossed each other until the woven metal created the shape.

Smirking, Kyoya scribbled ' _Red/Blue wire bulb-shaped ornament: Ai Arakida; Class 2-C; Hitachiin_ ' before placing the ornament back into its box and setting it down on the large table in front of him.

Even he had to admit, if only to himself, it had been a fairly good idea for the Host Club to spend Christmas together. He'd uploaded the Host Club's website yesterday, right after the hosts had agreed, and set his PR plan into motion. He'd made the correct assumption that Tamaki would purchase a relatively large tree, but neither he nor Jacklyn would have enough ornaments to decorate it completely. Since he was sure that none of them would wish to purchase more unnecessary decorations for the one day, he'd asked their guests if they had any ornaments they'd be willing to spare for the Host Club's tree.

It had been a hit, clearly. The girls loved the idea of their favorite group of boys spending this familial holiday together. Seemed to take it as a sign they were actually like family to each other.

It was an excellent publicity stunt.

As he reached for the next boxed ornament, Kyoya stilled, listening intently to the rest of the mansion. There weren't any more loud voices or bumps or threats of concussions that he could hear, so he assumed that the others were still out. They had all ordered to have their gifts for each other bought and wrapped, and now everyone had gone out to pick them up except for him… and Jacklyn.

Kyoya had been smart and all of his gifts for the others were to be delivered to the Suoh 2nd Mansion at some point in the next hour or so. The brunette had carried hers to school earlier today since they were small enough to be carried around in a plastic bag together. So as of this moment, they were the only two stuck in the mansion together.

In an attempt to forget about that fairly troubling thought, he quickly grabbed the package closest to him. This one was different from the others, a cylindrical shape rather than a cube, and it was addressed to him specifically. Normally, he'd feel a little unsure about opening such a package, but if it had gotten past his security's scanning… then perhaps he could satisfy his curiosity himself this one time.

As he peeled away the wrapping, finding a tube with a top that you had to pull at to open, Kyoya felt his imagination flicker into use. _Perhaps it's an ornament specifically for me. If so, we have a very bold guest._ A smirk tugs at his lips again as he proceeds to pull at the top. Said smirk twists into a frown the longer he pulls. Opening this gift was becoming irksome, it was as if the top had been glued down. Pursing his lips, Kyoya placed the tube in between his thighs and pulled hard.

The top came off with a solid _pop!_

His mouth fell open.

While he'd succeeded in taking the top off and opening the container, he'd also accidentally shaken it so that what had been inside came shooting out.

Now his lap, the couch, the table, the boxes of ornaments, and the corner of his laptop were covered with purple glitter.

It took a few seconds for the shock to wear off a little. Eventually, Kyoya's mind caught up with what exactly he was looking at and a surge of bubbling anger came rising up inside of him. Because there was only one person in the Universe who would _dare_ pull something like this, and there was no way he'd let that person go unpunished.

Working quickly, he grabbed the tube and looked inside of it. There was still a small pile of purple glitter resting innocently inside. Not quite enough, but once Kyoya brushed as much of the glitter on his lap as he could back inside there was a reasonable amount.

He stands, a shower of glitter falling from his legs as he stalks to the doors separating the living room from the dining hall. Reining himself in at the last second, he quietly pushed the door open and peeked inside. Jacklyn was standing with her back to him, scooping up paper scraps and capping glue sticks the others had abandoned. And she would've looked completely innocent to the downright _crime_ she'd committed if it weren't for her shoulders shaking with barely repressed laughter.

She was unaware of the body behind her until Kyoya dumped the entire container of glitter on her head.

The ravenet had approximately three seconds of complete satisfaction before the brunette in front of him let out a battle cry and tackled him. The container fell out of his hands as his back hit the floor, air rushing out of his lungs. A shower of glitter fluttered down off of her hair and into his face and he shut his eyes. Before Kyoya could react any further to this frightening turn of events, he felt his glasses being pulled off his face. He opened his eyes and saw a blurry Jacklyn take off.

Scrambling to his feet the ravenet ran after her as best as he could. Without his glasses though, he was having a rough time. The world had regressed into a great big blob with a bunch of smaller fuzzy blobs around him. Jacklyn's laugher increased in volume every time he bumped into a chair, or the corner of the table, or the doorframe back into the living room, and finally falling flat on his face after tripping over the corner of the kotatsu table Tamaki had insisted on.

Kyoya looked up from the carpet just in time to see the girl stop by the table beside him. He heard the telltale ' _clink_ ' of his glasses being set down on the table before the teal and black blob ran away, her laughter still echoing around the large room. Clawing forward and managing to collect even more glitter on himself from the carpet, Kyoya snatched his glasses. Pulling them close to his face, he saw what had been the girl's incentive for taking them in the first place.

The glass and frames were absolutely coated with purple glitter. Growling in frustration, Kyoya furiously rubbed and blew on his glasses in an attempt to rid them of the herpes of art projects. No luck. Every time he blew five of the stupid specks off, three of them magically zipped back to stick to them.

Letting out his own cry for war, Kyoya jammed the glasses back on his face and jumped to his feet. Jacklyn was back in the dining room, grabbing as many glitter shakers and packets as she could when Kyoya found her. She ran, and he grabbed his own handful of packets before giving chase.

The girl was no longer laughing, ripping one side off of a packet before throwing it back at the boy gaining on her. Kyoya swatted the packet out of the air, but the glitter exploded out of it and got all over his arm anyways. Angrily, he sped up and ripped three packets open at once. He caught up to her as she tried to get to the kitchen, grabbing her around the waist with his free hand and shaking the open packets at her from every angle he could reach. Jacklyn pushed her hands up to protect her face, but her clothes were a lost cause.

The two squirmed in their new position, each trying to dump more glitter on the other and try to keep as much of the shining specks off of themselves in the process. Jacklyn unscrewed the top of the pink glitter shaker and dumped the whole thing on the boy behind her. Kyoya finally released her, falling backwards and trying to shake the pile of stuff out of his hair.

Jacklyn took off again, heading back into the living room. She felt that Kyoya wouldn't dare chase after her and risk breaking anything their guests had sent them.

Well, as it turns out, she was wrong. The boy came charging into the room, glasses flaring in the light and sparkling like a group of five year olds had ambushed him during their arts 'n crafts time.

Jacklyn would've laughed if she didn't currently fear for her life.

The two ran in circles around the couch, chucking packets of glitter in each other's general direction. For a split second, Kyoya felt a jolt of panic that his laptop would be caught in the crossfire and be ruined by the glitter getting in between the keys. Then he recalled the top of it was closed, and the war continued.

They came to a standstill after two laps, Kyoya with his back to the fireplace. The ravenet's eyes narrowed before he ran directly towards the glitter blanketed couch. Jacklyn was smart enough to realize what he was doing and about-faced through the dining room doors just as he jumped over the back of the furniture, his house slippers now sparkling in blue and silver.

The brunette turned around in an attempt to shut the doors separating them, but Kyoya burst through just before the lock clicked into place. The girl fell backwards onto her butt, staring up at the boy as he took one step onto the glitter covered tile and slipped. Kyoya felt to his side, letting out an 'Oof!' as a cloud of multicolored glitter surrounded him.

The two prop themselves up on their elbows and stare at each other. Various appendages ached, glitter was so deeply ingrained in their clothes and in their hair and between their fingers it was unlikely either of them would stop sparkling within the following month. There was complete silence as the glitter Kyoya's fall had kicked up slowly settled back down onto the tile.

Jacklyn stared at him, chest heaving as she took in his appearance. Kyoya Ootori, sitting amid a pile of glitter and coated from head to toe with the stuff. His glasses were so caked with it she had no idea how he could possibly see where he was going through them.

Her lips were traitors, she decided soon thereafter. They curled up in the corners, lower lip wiggling as she squeezed them together. Her upper body began tightening with the force it took to keep her laughter in. Kyoya seemed to notice, because his eyes narrowed and his face scrunched up a little more.

Now panicked that she would have to start running for her life _again_ , Jacklyn leaned backwards. But Kyoya didn't make any sort of move to stand. Instead, his nose scrunched up, then smoothed, then his lips parted and his entire body jerked forward. He sneezed _hard_ into the crook of his left elbow, and a shower of silver, purple, and what looked to be pink glitter rained down from his hair at the movement. He pulled away to show off his new mustache of dark blue glitter and Jacklyn couldn't take it anymore.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA! AHA! AHA! AHAHAHAHAAA!"

The brunette fell backwards, her arms curling around her stomach as the laughter erupted from her mouth. She could feel the glitter from the floor scratching at her bare arms, but it didn't matter at the moment. Her eyes that were now flooded with tears of mirth could only see the glitter-encrusted boy sitting in front of her.

Said boy was staring at the American girl being wracked with laughter. If he couldn't hear the screeches coming from her, he would've assumed she was experiencing horrific stomach cramps. If she continued laughing as hard as she did, she might, too.

But still, as he continued to watch, the humor of their current situation didn't escape him. Not a single square inch of the two had been spared from their battle. He was sure he could feel their weapon of choice in his house slippers and under the collar of his sweater. For all he knew, there was some in his boxers that he'd discover later tonight.

The girl in front of him was now curled on her side, still laughing like it was the only way to get air into her body. She turned her head towards the floor, possibly to try and muffle herself, but she quickly pulled away, laugh cutting short as she attempted to spit out the glitter than had gotten into her mouth.

"Uh! Gross!" She rubbed at her lips with the back of her hands, but that only made it worse. She looked at Kyoya, who was still watching, and quickly lowered her hand in embarrassment.

Seeing her sparkling lips was the last straw. Kyoya soon found himself doubled over with laughter, his eyes squeezing out hot tears of his own. He could faintly hear the girl joining in again, apparently the hilarity of the situation not completely out of her system quite yet. So they laughed. And laughed. And continued to do so until they both were having difficulty breathing. Kyoya couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed this hard, needing to prop himself up off the floor. Not even when he'd laughed at Tamaki's idiocy had he done so this hard or for this long. Five minutes must've passed before the two slowed down.

Eventually, though, Jacklyn had enough air to speak again, "That was fun!"

Then the ravenet blindsided her. He sat up straight and smiled quite sincerely before responding, "Yes. It was."

Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth _just yet_ , she shuffled her feet against the glitter, "I'm, uh, sorry. You know, for getting glitter all over you. Especially your glasses. You are going to sparkle like a cheap movie vampire for _weeks_." Kyoya looked down at his clothes, humming softly in agreement as he brushed at his pants in vain.

"Well… I did have it coming."

The girl's smile dropped, "Look, Kyoya-"

"I was out of line. Actually, I was more than out of line, I was cruel. I should never have attacked your family the way I did. I simply…" he looked up again, "In case you were unaware, I don't have much experience with being honestly friendly towards others. Having… _friends_ , real ones, is a new concept I've recently learned of and, well, the host club means a lot to Tamaki. It's pretty fun for the others and I as well. So I saw you, a brilliant, kind, and exotic girl who looked at Tamaki like a lost kitten, and all I could think of was if you were going to end the club before it even lasted a year. What if the other boys fell in love with you? What if you fell in love with us? The guests and the other clubs and having a girl in the host club… I just saw so many ways of this going wrong that I never considering it going right. So, I tried to frighten you into staying in your own little box."

Jacklyn licked her lips and instantly regretted it. _Gross… we should've bought edible glitter instead…_

"I hated it."

Forgetting about the taste of sparkly art supplies for a moment, she returned her attention to her classmate, "What?"

"I hated scaring you. It felt like… dirt inside my head and I instantly regretted it. I'm sorry."

"And I forgive you."

Now it was Kyoya's turn to look at the other in surprise, "You do? Just like that?"

"Well, you meant it, right?" He nodded. "So, problem solved."

"You're not the least bit upset?"

Jacklyn grinned, "Tamaki and I talked the day after you said that stuff to me. He let me know you weren't really a bad guy. And it sounds to me like you wouldn't enjoy being the bad guy anyways. You meant your sorry, and we just proved that you're actually pretty fun when you don't have that stick up your butt. So… I think I can forgive you this one time."

Kyoya can't think of anything to say in response to that, but thankfully he doesn't have to. From the other side of the house, they hear the sound of large doors opening and then shutting, loud words and laughter and the occasional bickering floating through the hallways. The others were back.

Jacklyn looked down at the remaining packets of glitter still clenched in her hands. Then she saw the many remaining packets still on the table beside them. She looked at Kyoya and held up her handful, cocking an eyebrow.

To her surprise, Kyoya non-verbally agreed immediately.

*Itty Bitty Time Skip here*

The five boys walked into the dining room, conversations ending abruptly as soon as they saw the carnage.

Tamaki's mouth fell open as he surveyed the damage. A few chairs were knocked over here and there. The tabletop and floor were sprinkled with glitter _everywhere_. Even the doors to the living room had a little bit stuck to them.

Slowly, they all inched further into the room, looking around for a sign of the two they'd left behind.

"What in the world?"

"What _happened_ in here?"

"Do you think something happened to Jac-chan?"

"Wow. Whatever it was, Kyoya is going to have an absolute _fit_."

Tamaki slowly inched towards the living room doors, doing his best not to slip and fall amid the piles of glitter beneath his feet. He eventually pushed the two doors open and his jaw dropped further, "I believe that's a massive understatement."

The other four make their way over to him and stare. If they thought the dining room was back, the living room was ten times worse. The couch was nothing _but_ glitter. The ornaments Kyoya had been going through were all but buried under the stuff, as well as Kyoya's beloved laptop. At least the top was closed, so hopefully that would've protected it from a majority of the damage. It looked like that area had been the center for whatever had happened, because there didn't appear to be any glitter anywhere else in the room. They inched forward, still searching for their missing club members.

"Do you think Jac-chan did this on purpose? To get back at Kyo-chan?"

"It that's the case-"

"-then we should start looking for the blood spatter."

"But where are they?"

"I don't know… but with all of my servants gone for the holiday, how are we supposed to clean this up?"

"Easy."

The five turned around just in time to see Jacklyn and Kyoya closing the doors and chucking opened packets of glitter at them. They stumbled backwards, the twins actually falling over the back of the couch and popping up with blue and silver slashed across their red hair.

The seven stared at each other for a brief moment, two of them covered from head to toe with glitter and sporting wide grins, and the rest of them wearing shocked faces and most having only one solid line of the stuff going across their chests.

"We leave it for now."

Kyoya and Jacklyn ran back through the dining room doors just as their friends began pursuing them with mock battle cries.

*Later that night*

Tamaki turned this way and that in his mirror, the light in his room making his whole body seem to shimmer with half an hour's worth of glitter. He pressed two of his fingers to his lips, then threw his arm out in his signature extravagant way of blowing a kiss. A small cloud of glitter fell from the sweeping motion, slowly spiraling towards the floor.

The blond smiled at his reflection, "I think this might actually work in our favor…"

* * *

 **Holy cow I finished this chapter before my other ones! I'm so freaking proud of myself for this! And yes, that little bit at the end was a reference to where I got the inspiration for this chapter. After all, Tamaki had to get his sparkles from somewhere!**

 **And YAY Kyoya and Jacklyn are now FRIENDS! No, they are not going to hate each other after this. There are a few things that you simply cannot do together and continue to despise each other afterwards, and getting into an all out glitter war is one of them.**

 **If you liked this chapter as much as I do, then please favorite, follow, and review!**

 **See you next chapter!**


	12. December 30th

**I know it's a short chapter, and I'm sorry this is all I have for you after such a long wait. Really, I'm sorry. But over the past two weeks I've been on vacation and then I got a cold which started kicking my butt _and_ I've been working all of last week. I feel like I have some valid excuses. I promise, the next one will be longer.**

 **Thank you to Drkm2000,** **Yoitsyourstruly,** **Candybrown,** **Swimmer1102,** **Queenglitch, and** **Bizzylizzy for reviewing my last chapter. I'm so happy that you liked the glitter I had in the last chapter! I've had lots of experience with the stuff and thought it would be a nice touch. (And I'm sorry Bizzylizzy about changing the chapters! I won't do it again, Scout's Honor!)**

 **Disclaimer: If I didn't fear some stupid lawsuit, I wouldn't bother with this. Am I the only one who thinks these are pointless? Anyways, yeah, don't own the boys. You know… in case that was unclear to anyone...**

* * *

"Good afternoon, Passengers! We are beginning our descent over Detroit, Michigan. It's currently 14 degrees Fahrenheit with partly cloudy skies..."

Jacklyn frowned as her brain struggled with the switch from Japanese back to English. After four months of not using her native language except for maybe 10 minutes a day, it was a bit of a difficult transfer. And hearing it in the garbled airplane speaker dialect was not doing her any favors.

As the flight attendant continued on with her announcement, the brunette lifted her window shade, which she had put down after the stop in Chicago to catch up on some extra sleep. Hey, when you're in the air for more than half a day, there's not much else to do.

Peering out of the small window, Jacklyn smiled as she realized they were now below the clouds. Beneath her she could see the city of Detroit sprawling out beneath them a long way down. Despite the many wonderful qualities of Japan, she always felt a sense of _home_ when she was back in her state.

Jacklyn was smiling the whole way down to the ground, ideas for the remainder of her vacation buzzing around in her head. Snowball fights, New Year's Eve, playing with her dog, and pizza night! She couldn't wait. Not even her jetlagged, elbow rest-stealing, Japanese businessman seat neighbor could bother her. Much.

Once she was back on solid ground, Jacklyn made her way through customs with the rest of her flight. The experience was no more pleasant than it had been back in August when she'd gone the other way, but at least this time she had some experience. No, she doesn't have anything to declare. No, she hadn't brought back anything that was banned in the U.S. And _no_ she wasn't bringing in alcohol. And of course she'd gotten stuck with the security officer who took her job _waaay_ too seriously. Jacklyn was mocking her ' _Are you giving me attitude, young lady_ ' question all the way down the moving sidewalk.

Finally, she got into the main part of the airport and started looking around for a map. _Mom's waiting outside of baggage claim… so where is that?_

She eventually found one hanging between a pair of bathrooms. There was a small family of five to her left trying to organize which of them would use the restroom first, and she gave the little girl staring at her a small smile before focusing on the map. _Baggage claim… down the escalators. Then look for the passenger pick up and drop off. Easy._

She made perhaps a quarter turn away from the map when a solid mass collided with the brunette's side, bowling her over onto the tile floor. Her carry-on smacked the ground somewhere by her feet, but no one was paying much attention to the inanimate object, being more curious about the squirming bodies on the floor. Even the crying child that had been passing by quieted down.

By the time Jacklyn was breathing normally again, she had been able to prop herself up off the ground by her elbows. Her mouth popped open into an almost perfect 'o' shape when she registered exactly _who_ had knocked her down.

"Jac-chan! I found you!"

"Honey-senpai?!"

The small blond giggled, "You're so cute when you're surprised!"

"What? H-how?"

"We followed you, Silly!"

" _W-we?_ "

Honey jumped off of the girl and pointed in the direction he'd come from. Slowly but surely through the thick crowds, Jacklyn could see five familiar heads of hair bobbing their way closer to the two of them. Her eyes fell on her carry-on lying on the floor, to the escalators a few feet away, and she considered making a break for it.

Before she could do more than scramble to her feet and grab her bag, the others reached them.

"Hi, Jacklyn-senpai!"

"Thought you'd seen the last of us, huh?"

"Well…" Tamaki interrupted her response, falling into a grand theatrical explanation as to why the host club had followed her out of the country like a group of handsome stalkers. She didn't bother listening, knowing he wouldn't be making much sense anyways, and glared at the other boys. "I thought you all said you had plans for break. You two," Jacklyn pointed at the twins, "You said your parents were in Hawaii _waiting_ for you. What happened to that, eh?"

"Well, as it turns out, none of our other plans were very enticing, to be honest. As you somehow made Christmas much more fun than any of us had previous experience with, we assumed that the rest of the break might be more enjoyable if you were with us as well."

Jacklyn rolled her eyes, but a minuscule smile flickered across her face at Kyoya's explanation. The four others who had been listening to the conversation (Tamaki was now spinning around the middle of the building, attracting a lot of weird looks) were also sporting little smiles. Ever since they had all gotten into that messy but wonderful glitter-war, it was like the whole group had let out a breath of relief. There was sufficiently less tension around the group now that Kyoya and Jacklyn were on good terms, and no one was complaining. It was clear the two in question were much happier now as well since they no longer needed to tiptoe around the other.

"So… now what? I hate to break it to you guys, but there aren't any hotels in Shepherd."

"We could stay at your house, Jac-chan!"

"No! There's no way we'd have the room for you all! And my parents would _kill_ me, because no doubt you'd make it sound like I invited you!"

"Not to worry, my family has a small cottage up in Alma that we'll be staying at. It'll be a tight fit, but we should all be comfortable enough. And there should be a car waiting for us just outside the airport."

"See, Jacklyn? It's perfect!" Tamaki had finished his speech and was back with his friends, "We'll drop off our luggage and then you can lead us to your family's home! We'll get to see where your childhood unfolded and we'll become closer as a-"

"There's no way you're coming home with me."

The group's pleasant buzz grinded to a halt. The six boys stared at the female, in various stages of shock. Tamaki in particular looked like a marble statue.

"Oh..."

"I guess we _could've_ asked you if you wanted us around."

"Sorry for... assuming, Jac-chan."

"Apologies if we overstepped our boundaries. If our presence is unprecedented, we could leave. If you wish."

Groaning, Jacklyn let her head fall back, "Noooooo, don't say it like that now I feel _guilty_. Ugh, fine! You guys can stick around. It's not like I can tell you where to spend your vacations, anyways. Just... let me have my first day back with just my family, okay? I'll text you guys directions to my house tomorrow... you can spend New Year's Eve with us. We'll figure the rest of the days out as we go along, fair?"

The others nodded, not wanting to place themselves in their friends bad graces, particularly one boy who just _recently_ became her friend. Tamaki, as per usual, was the first to go back to his happy-go-lucky sort of mood.

"That's a perfectly acceptable plan, Jacklyn! We'll just see you tomorrow, then! And we all get to celebrate New Year's together, too! Oh, I can't wait! And don't worry about us getting lost tomorrow, our driver is sure to have an excellent sense of direction! You don't need to worry about us at all!"

The brunette sighed, " _I always worry about you boys._ Com'on, passenger pick-up is downstairs near baggage claim."

* * *

 **Eh. It's alright. Originally, I had them going to her house immediately after this scene, but then I realized that if _I_ were in Jacklyn's shoes and _I_ brought friends home to my family who hadn't seen me in months my mother would both kill me and embarrass me in front of them. So, I separated it. And now I have the perfect story line for next chapter: New Years! This should be fun.**

 **Anyways, sorry again for the short chapter and the long wait. This is normally where I'd tell you that the next one won't take as long, but since I'm heading back to school soon, that might not be true. I'll try, promise... but no really promises...**

 **Anyways, if you liked it, please favorite, follow, and review! Love me those reviews.**

 **See you next chapter!**


	13. December 31st

**Okay, I'm so sorry for how long it took me to get this out. I needed to do some** _ **major**_ **rewriting on this chapter. There are just so many details it's hard to write an actual story to go along with it. And for those of you who also read Big Sister Fujioka, you know that** _ **that**_ **story has been getting some major love from me… which doesn't excuse forgetting about this one, I know, but that's the reason.**

 **Thank you to queenglitch, drkm2000, yoitsyourstruly, MajesticSkittles, Leilani, Lonesome Road, Bizzylizy, UnconventionalPysche, and Momochan77 for your reviews. They kept me going even through the writer's block!**

 **Disclaimer: Not. Mine.**

* * *

"What if it's just a small one room apartment? What if she's living in squaller?"

"Calm down, Tamaki. Jacklyn's family is upper middle class, and her father holds a high position at the hospital he works at. I'm sure their house is perfectly suitable for her family."

"We don't know that!"

The others groaned. This had been a constant conversation ever since they had all left the airport… _yesterday._ Tamaki had somehow gotten the idea stuck in his head that Jacklyn was living in a cardboard box and refused to be convinced otherwise.

"Now, men, remember to be polite! Don't say anything about Jacklyn's home, family, or any American traditions to ensure that we don't offend her or her parents. We have nearly 14 hours until midnight, so be on your guard!"

The twins let out matching sighs, "Boss, we already know this."

"You're literally the only one who is freaking out."

"I bet Jacklyn would agree that you're putting _way_ too much pressure on this meeting, so calm down."

*With Jacklyn*

The brunette was a whirlwind.

"Alec! Your charger is still in the living room! I _told_ you to clean up your stuff!"

"I'm getting there! Geez, when did you become such a neat freak?"

"Since I started living on my own!" Running out of her brother's room and down the stairs, she walked straight ahead from the bottom of the staircase and into the guest bathroom. _Spotless. Perfect._

Jacklyn walked back out and surveyed the living room. Other than Alec's charger that was still plugged into the back wall between the electric fireplace and the green recliner, the large room was spotless. A quick look through the opening between the living room and dining room told her the same.

 _Great. So if I can just keep the boys on the ground floor between now and midnight, I'll be golden._

Sighing, the brunette fell in a huffed over the armrest of one of the sofas. She was not ready for her family to meet the host club. At all.

Sure, in the half-minute her mom had been introduced to the boys before they left the airport, Cindy Prout had ensured her daughter that she thought her friends were funny and very polite. But that did not stop Jacklyn from giving her family an hour-long warning of what might be said over the course of the day and worrying about her brother. While she had been gone for the past four months, Alec's patience had shrunk a great deal, and his resulting anger skyrocketed. Jacklyn was trying not to assume anything, but clearly the odds were stacked against her.

"Jackie? Could you help me in the kitchen for a second?"

The brunette groaned before hauling herself back up and over the armrest, making her way to the kitchen, "Coming, Dad!"

*With the Hosts*

18 minutes was actually a very short drive, now that Tamaki thought about it. Their limo had traded the highway for Shepherd backroads awfully quickly, and now they were perhaps a minute away from the final destination in Jacklyn's directions. On the plus side, the other hosts were finally starting to show the same tension as he was.

"So… Kyoya-senpai."

"Do you have any information on Jacklyn's family we should know about?"

"That would help our situation at all? Unfortunately not."

"Hey! Hey! I think we're in Jac-chan's neighborhood!"

Honey-senpai soon found himself crowded by the side of the car as the twins plastered their faces against his door's window. They all stared out of the frosting windows at the large snow-covered houses they were passing by.

The six boys were in what could only be called stunned silence. Each house they passed by seemed bigger and grander than the last, which was really saying something coming from them. Most of the houses they were passing were perhaps another room or two from the size of their own family mansions. It was more than what they were expecting by _far_.

"Jacklyn-senpai…"

"Lives _here?_ "

A log-cabin looking house that was the size of Tamaki's family's second mansion rolled by the blond's window. It even had hedge topiaries!

"Which one is Jacklyn's?"

"Probably the smallest one…" the twins mumbled, doubt creeping into their voices.

The limo rounded a corner and eventually the homes starting giving away to large maple trees. Finally they slowed down at a dead end, where only a single winding driveway remained. All six boys held their breath as the limo calmly wove its way up the gravel, large, barren trees framing their way up the hill. The drive ended in a loop, a three car garage on the right for the owners to park, and the house on the left for guests being dropped off. Not to mention additional outdoor parking for overnight stays.

As the limo rolled to a stop at the crest of the drive, the boys shifted over to one side of the cabin, staring up at the house. Slowly, Mori-senpai reached for the door handle and pulled it open. The twins nearly fell flat on their faces, but didn't seem to notice as they crawled out. Breath fogged out in front of the six boys as they gaped.

It wasn't the smallest house at all.

Oh, it certainly wasn't the largest either, but it was still a big shock compared to Tamaki's earlier concerns.

It was only a two story, set up on the top of the hill and spilling over to where it began to decline back down. From the angle they were at, the hosts could see the very edge of a porch jutting out from the back of the house's 1st floor, stone stilts holding it up as it towered maybe another whole floor above the ground. They couldn't see the backyard that it's wooden steps lead down to because of the fence, but it was probably very large, as there wasn't another house around for a good five minute or so walk.

The outside of the building was alternating tan vinyl and stone columns, large windows here and there giving the home an airy feeling even though they were still outside. The front door was near the right side of the house, set a little ways back from the front edge of the home so that the porch was an enclosed space. Wind chimes rang sweetly in the light wind.

The light wind that gusted harshly and bit at Honey-senpai's cheeks.

He shuffled his little boots, "Um… maybe we should go inside?"

Tamaki took the lead, as per usual, and walked up the stone path laid out for them. Dead flowers and bushes and a small tree lined their way up to the porch, and the boys figured that if they had visited in the summer or late spring, the house would have been surrounded with green leaves and brightly colored flowers.

It what seems like no time at all, they're already walking up the three stone steps onto the porch. Behind them their limo and their driver have already left to await Kyoya's call that they were ready to be picked up. Since it was New Year's Eve, their driver had been informed he could go home and celebrate with his family for the night; he would only be called _after_ midnight.

Kaoru was already in the process of removing his shoes as they reached the front door, only to be stopped by his brother.

"Right… America. Almost forgot."

Tamaki raised a hand against the wood and froze. Kyoya, noticing his friend's impending heart attack, rolled his eyes and knocked on the door for him. Dropping his hand to his side, they heard a lock slide out of place before the door opened. Jacklyn smiled at the boys, wearing a black t-shirt, skinny jeans, and mismatched ankle socks.

"Hey guys. Come on in."

Hiding their oncoming culture shock, the boys walked inside and slide their wet boots off. There was a metal rack to the left of the doorway where they could see other shoes already drying off from the wet snow outside, and fit their own as best as they could alongside the Prout's.

Jacklyn walked a little ways out of the front foyer and gestured around the room, "Um… welcome? I guess?"

No one answered her at first, too busy taking in as much of the inside as possible. Behind Jacklyn were two leather couches pushed together to form a 90° angle. One couch faced the entertainment center/television while the one on its left and faced the fireplace set into the back wall of the house. A green La-Z-Boy armchair was facing the corner where the two couches met, to the right of the entertainment center; the opportune spot to watch the whole room.

The hosts slowly inched into the carpeted room. To the left of the entertainment center, there was a wide gap in the wall where two steps lead down into a dining room. From their angle, the boys could see two other walkways through the dining room. If you went straight through, you'd come out into the sunroom. They guessed that the other walkway went to the kitchen.

Turning their heads to the other end of the house, the hosts saw what was most likely a small bathroom for the first floor and a staircase to reach the second floor. All of the bedrooms were probably up there, over their heads.

Straight forward were only a few windows and a pair of sliding doors that lead to the back porch. There was also another door that opened into the wall beneath the staircase, which was probably the entrance to the basement.

It was… a great deal more than any of them had anticipated.

The boys were still gaping as a rather booming voice called out from the left, "Hello?"

Tamaki actually jumped, "Who was that?"

"My dad. Dad! The Host Club's here!"

Another voice suddenly called from upstairs, coming through the vents surprisingly clear, "Jacklyn? Are they here?"

The brunette turned her head towards the nearest vent above them and shouted, "Yup!"

A few moments later there were a few thuds and the hosts watched as white socks, blue jeans encasing long legs, a black t-shirt with a blue drum sketch on it, and a mop of black hair slowly emerged from the ceiling as Jacklyn's younger brother walked down the steps. He paused about three steps away from the bottom, looking down at the group still standing by the front door. He looked at them weirdly, wondering why a few of them had their mouths open.

"Um… hi?"

Alec shot a confused glance to his older sister, who lifted her hands, "Hey, don't look at me. I don't know why they're acting weird."

"Hey, give them some time. It's a large culture shift." A large man appeared from the dining room. Mr. Prout. Despite his wider nose and emerald green eyes, Mr. Prout and his daughter shared a surprising amount of features.

The man looked at the hosts, and in the back of his mind Kyoya could help but recall that this was the man his father had asked to work at his family's hospital in Japan. He couldn't help but be curious as to when he'd find out why; he certainly didn't look at all like he'd pictured. Mr. Prout was, there was no other word for it, fat. And from the way he looked at them all it was clear that he was a very caring man. Not exactly the commanding figure Kyoya's father had briefly described in passing at the dinner table, but he decided to keep his thoughts to himself. He'd only _just_ become friends with Jacklyn, no need to insult her father.

Tamaki was quick to take the lead, bowing to the man with his characteristic grin on, "Hello. We're the Ouran Hi - _ahem_ \- sorry, force of habit. I meant, we're your daughter's friends from school. The Hitachiin twins, Hikaru and Kaoru, class 3-A from the middle school. Haninozuka Mitsukuni and Morinozuka Takashi from class 2-A in the high school. Ootori Kyoya and I, Suoh Tamaki, are from the same class as your daughter."

Her father smiled back widely, bowing his head, "Welcome to our home and country, gentlemen. I must ask, would you mind terribly if we address you in the American standard or would that make you too uncomfortable?"

Surprised but pleased with the Japanese-like way they'd been addressed, the boys all nodded their consent. Tamaki, of course, was his usual extravagant self, "You may address us by our first names, we don't mind, and it would certainly add to our experience here!"

The brunet man smiled back before his gaze moved over to Kyoya, "Did Tamaki say your family name was Ootori?"

Kyoya nodded, smiling brightly, "Yes. I believe you've met my father before?"

"I have. He's a very fine gentlemen and I was pleasantly surprised when my daughter told me she had found a friend in his youngest son. He spoke very highly of you and your siblings when we talked years ago."

Tamaki quickly stepped forward again, knowing that his best friend's tongue had just been effectively twisted into a knot, "We can't thank you enough for being welcomed into your home and can't wait to see how a commoner family functions in such a small living space! This is a wonderful learning opportunity!"

Jacklyn sees her brother's back straighten a little out of the corner of her eye. _Uh oh._

"Common-"

" _BARK!_ "

Everyone jumped as Mrs. Prout opened the sliding door from outside, allowing a small dog to jump inside the house and race towards the new people. Jacklyn sent a silent 'Thank you' to her mother's great timing and how she had effectively cut off Alec's response. She missed the way an elbow lightly dug itself into the tall blond's side before the boys all bent down to greet the small dog.

The welsh corgi was wriggling all over, trying to hand out as many kisses as it could while sniffing the new people at the same time. The blond boy quickly rolled over onto his back to let the dog crawl all over him. Honey was the next to bend down, followed by Mori. The twins lunged for a rope toy and quickly got into a tug of war with the animal. Even Kyoya was watching with amusement.

Since they were distracted, Jacklyn quickly pulled her brother away.

"Alec-"

"What's with the 'commoner' name?"

Jacklyn glanced at the boys over her shoulder, "Look, they're not used to… I'm their first friend who isn't filthy rich. These are brand new experiences to them, not having maids or butlers or chauffeurs or chefs. They're really nice once you get them to know them, I promise. They're idiots and might make some careless comments, but please don't take them to heart, they don't mean any insult."

Alec crossed his arms, "Fine."

"Jac-chan! What's his name?"

"Toby. He's only seven."

Her mom lifted a dog treat out of it's box and Toby was quick to race to her side, leaving behind a whimpering Host Club. Jacklyn rolled her eyes with a smile while Alec flopped down on the couch unhappily.

Mr. Prout clapped his hands together, "Are you boys hungry? I can whip up a quick lunch if you'd like."

"No thank you, Prout-san! We ate before driving over!"

The twins looked around the room they were in as Jacklyn's mother greeted the others. There wasn't much to do here. They could watch television or explore the backyard, sure, but where was the fun in that? Their eyes drifted over to the staircase. Matching smiles appeared.

"Jacklyn-senpai?"

"Can we go check out your room?"

The brunette's eyes widened, "Uh-"

"Thanks!"

The twins jumped up before their friend could properly respond, running up the stairs with Toby at their heels, not quite willing to leave his new playmates just yet. Tamaki quickly followed them, screaming about how they shouldn't invade a lady's private quarters, even if they were in America. Honey skipped after them, his cousin following. Kyoya sent a smirk to the gaping Jacklyn before following the others.

The brunette sighed, trudging after them, "You… they're an acquired taste."

Her father laughed as she followed the boys who were still shouting at each other. She reached the first landing when the group made a low 'oooh' sound. Jumping up the final three steps to her left that actually put her on the second floor, the brunette ran past her brother's room, turned a corner, and ran straight to the doorway at the end of the hallway.

All six boys were already milling around her bedroom, trying to take everything in. Her walls were covered in photos, a few posters, some random pieces of paper wishing her 'Good luck', and a lot of painted polka-dots. Deciding to just let them be for a while, the girl walked over to the left side of her room. There were three large window panels that took up most of the whole wall, a window seat running along the bottom sill. She took a seat and was quickly joined by her dog, whom she began petting.

"Since when were you into drawing?"

"Hm?" The twins were gesturing to the right back corner of her room, beside her closet doors. A corkboard was hanging up above a small desk there, both _covered_ in art and art supplies. Coffee mugs that held acrylic paint brushes, sketching pencils, pens, and sharpies. Two ceramic bowls, one with pencil shavings and another with dried paint on the bottom. A mixing palette, two different pencil sharpeners, a ruler, a brand new box of mechanical pencils, scissors, a roll of tape, and a small container of push-pins for the board. The drawings featured on her wall included some painted flowers and autumn leaves, sketches of cartoon characters and winged people… all wonderfully done.

"Oh, that. Well, I started sketching about three years ago. It's nothing more than a hobby really. I plan to take some of this stuff back with me to Japan so I can keep doing it. I've already borrowed an unhealthy amount of sharpies from my neighbor. I think she'd like them back at some point."

"Jac-chan? What's this stuff?"

Honey-senpai was staring up at the rest of her right wall, which was covered with multiple shelves that were completely filled up with… the hosts couldn't even figure out the theme. Though there was definitely a lot of it. There were a few bronze medals, a stuffed hippo Webkinz, a vase filled with fake flowers, a small pile of CD's, beads, ribbons, fingerless gloves still in packaging, wristbands, and an origami swan. And those were just what they could name!

Between the shelves were a bunch of papers taped to the wall. There were newspaper clippings, music sheets, paper awards, tickets, numerous picture frames, a large sketch of Jacklyn that didn't look like her own work, and a bunch of pieces of paper that read, 'Good luck at Troy, Jacklyn!' or 'Have an Amazing show in Belding!' and other strange pictures and words like 'Get it!' or 'Nails!'. And, unless they were mistaken, there was also a mechanical pencil tied to a colorful string that she had taped to the ceiling.

"Marching band memorabilia. Just… stuff I've gathered over the past three years. Locker signs and sections gifts and the like, you know? And you guys can keep poking around if you want, just stay out of the top dresser drawer."

The boys nod, lapsing into silence as they start poking around a little more. Knowing she should probably start packing for her return to Japan sooner rather than later, Jacklyn stood up, dislodging her dog's head from her leg. Slipping between the twins, she opened her closet and pulled out a suitcase the same color as the carry-on she'd had in the airport yesterday. She turned to throw it on her bed and just barely managed to stop herself in time. One second later and she would've crushed Hikaru.

The two redheads were laying spread-eagle across her comforter, heads by their brother's hip, and lazily looking around the room. Kaoru had Toby's head on his stomach and was slowly rubbing the dog's soft ears. Jacklyn sighed and opened the suitcase in the open floor space instead.

"Hey, Jacklyn-senpai?"

"Did you play the piano in your marching band?"

The brunette shook her head, "Not even remotely. I was in the color guard, just like my dad."

"Did you like it?"

"Of course! It was so much fun!"

"Really?"

"Then why didn't you join the marching band at Ouran?"

Tamaki looked away from the many photographs above Jacklyn's dresser, which was to the left of the door, "Ouran Academy has a marching band?"

"Yeah, it does. I had planned on joining at the beginning of next year." Jacklyn grabbed a package of lined paper from the bottom of her bookshelf and placed it in the suitcase, "I know that marching band is taken pretty seriously in Japan, and while I would've loved to take part in it to see what was different and how I would grow from it… well, I joined another club instead. Marching band takes up a _lot_ of time, not to mention the physical and mental energy. There's no way I would've been able to take part in both clubs and keep on top of my homework."

She paused in the middle of pulling a book off of the shelf, pursed her lip, then grabbed a different book box-set instead, "I guess the universe just had a different plan for me."

The boys exchanged guilty glances with the floor. They were the real reason Jacklyn wasn't allowed to pursue her passion. But the brunette didn't look too upset by that fact, throwing in the mechanical pencils and two more boxes of colored pencils into her suitcase.

Kyoya was poking around the top of her bookcase, trying not to block the owner too much.

"Kyoya? Can you hand me that sketchbook in front of your nose? The one with all the Harry Potter quotes on the covers?"

He nodded and did as requested, eyeing the slowly growing pile of art equipment the girl was piling into her suitcase, "I wasn't aware that you were so… artistic."

"Get used to being surprised."

The boy stared at his newfound friend as she continued packing. Jacklyn frowned before hoisting herself up from her squat and walking towards the dresser. Tamaki was standing directly in front of the furniture, where he had been since they entered the bedroom. The girl looked at him curiously before reaching around his body and grabbing a stray pen from the top.

She went to walk away when he tilted his head in her direction, "Jacklyn? Who are these people?" She looked at the mosaic of fifty or so portraits on her wall. It started off with only a few people before slowly growing in height and width the further it climbed up her wall. At his question the other boys inched closer (except the twins, they were too lazy to stand up) and took a closer look at the photos.

Humming, Jacklyn leaned her forearms on top of the dresser, "They're senior pictures. See the little numbers in the corners of some of these? The bottom five are the seniors from the marching band who graduated the year I first year I joined. That was 7th grade for me. Then 8th grade and Freshman year and…" she got a sad smile on her face, "Well… I guess I'll have to ask Alec to get the pictures for me this time."

Once again the hosts were overcome with a strange sense of guilt, even if this time it was completely unfounded.

"Jacklyn-senpai…"

"If you're so homesick, why are you staying in Japan for another two years?"

She shrugged, "I'm no less homesick than I would be if I went off to college somewhere in the state or moved a half-hour away. I wanted to go to Japan, so I went. I don't regret it, I mean, I'm definitely less shy now."

"Jacklyn? Do your friends want to play some games? I just grabbed a few from downstairs!"

Shaken out of her deep thinking, the brunette's eyes lit up, "Have you ever played 'Apples to Apples'?"

"Um… no."

Brown eyes twinkling, Jacklyn grinned, "This is going to be fun…"

*Time Skip*

"Okay, kiddos! Time to make your pizzas!"

"Awwww, what? I just got a Draw 4 card!" Hikaru fell backwards in defeat as the others ignored him, abandoning their own Uno cards. Honey made sure to actually step on the redhead's stomach as he passed, considering that 'Draw 4' would've been for him.

Alec raced Tamaki to the kitchen, both boys trying their best to not trip over the dog in front of them. Jacklyn watched them in relieved amusement. After an hour or so into their large card game marathon, Alec had finally relaxed around the hosts. It was funny to him how they totally didn't get the 'dirty' cards (once they broke out 'Cards Against Humanity') and took that vicious teenager thrill in seeing their faces when he explained the humor behind each card.

Until Mori set down 'The biggest, blackest dick' card with a completely straight face and everyone lost their shit.

"Hey, Mom? When's the first showing?"

Mrs. Prout was seated at the bar counter in the kitchen, content with watching her husband cook while she filled him in on her phone call with her mother, "Sometime after 8." She watched with grey-hazel eyes as the Host Club boys piled into the kitchen. Her daughter had told her a lot of what had happened over in Japan, including the shenanigans these boys seemed to always get caught up in. There had even been pictures shared from Christmas of all seven of them doused in glitter, smiling and laughing with each other.

She was so happy her daughter had found friends who helped pull her out of her shell.

"So… what do we do?"

Jacklyn took the lead, pulling one of the rolled-out dough towards her and slipping into Japanese to make explaining it all a little easier, "Pick one of the pizza doughs my dad's already rolled out, then you spread your pizza sauce out… sprinkle on your cheese… and throw on whatever toppings you want!"

She grabbed a large handful of mushrooms and scattered them over the cheese, backing away for her dad to take the finished pizza away and clear up more counter space, "There, now you go!"

As the boys jumped into the pizza making, bumping elbows and throwing random toppings at everyone else's pizzas, Jacklyn shifted over to her mom, " _So, are they like you expected?_ "

The girls glanced at the hosts.

Tamaki was placing his pepperoni systematically around his cheese, talking about pepperoni pizzas being a 'time-honored tradition'. Hikaru and Kaoru were making 'Hawaiian' pizzas, one with only a little cheese and one with so much you could only see a faint outline of sauce along the rim. Honey was only cheese, Mori had every meat option available, and Kyoya has specifically asked her father what 'spice-inducing' items would work well on a pizza.

" _Not at all._ "

"Jacklyn! Jacklyn! Look at my pizza! Isn't it beautiful!"

"Yeah, Tamaki. It looks great. Now how about we give my dad some room in here and go back out to the living room. I want to teach you how to play Euchre before the night is out."

"Euchre?"

"Yeah. It's really popular up here. Jack's are the high card, and the winning suit changes each round."

Kyoya smirked, leading the way out of the warm room, "You seem to enjoy making your life harder."

"Eh. I like a challenge."

* * *

 **Okay, so this chapter was basically looking at Jacklyn's life before the club. And holy cow details! It took forever for me to finish constructing the house and her room in my mind. It felt like torture...**

 **Side note: This house doesn't really exist, BTW. It's a small mixture of my uncle's house and a few of my friend's places, with a lot of my personal wishes for a home. Basically, it's my dream house. If this sounds like your house, apologies, I promise I didn't stalk you.**

 **Also, I finished and posted this chapter literally 5 minutes before my first class of the semester started. I'm sorry if this seems to lack a lot of details and the expected ended (with them cheering as the ball dropped and arguing over who got to kiss Jacklyn only to have her smack them all), but I was rushed. I think I got the gist of it down, though.**

 **If you liked it, please favorite, follow, and review!**

 **See you next chapter!**


	14. January 5th

**Back to it! I'm super sorry that I can never seem to keep up with the updates for this story! For some reason it's hard for it to flow out of me like my other story. Perhaps it's because I have nothing to base it off of… anyways, sorry. I'm just gonna… get to it, then.**

 **Thank you to queenglitch, Momochan77, Kitsune to Tenshi-chan, and bizzylizzy for your wonderful reviews! I'm so happy you liked the CAH bit and Mori's card. I like adding humor into my stories like that.**

 **Disclaimer: I, honest to Chuck, do not own OHSHC.**

* * *

Jacklyn had yet to move away from the window, which was concerning.

Ever since Kyoya's private jet had pulled away from the airport, the brunette had been staring outside, watching as her home state shrank beneath them before disappearing completely beneath the clouds. Even then she hadn't moved away, the hosts uncomfortable and worried as they watched her chest shake with barely repressed sobs.

It wasn't until they were allowed to freely move around the cabin that Tamaki unbuckled his seatbelt and walked over. Kneeling beside her, he placed a hand on her knee.

"I miss my home, too."

She took in a shuddering breath before finally looking away, her red-rimmed eyes trained on the carpet's grey pattern, "I'm s-sorry... I-" Jacklyn's own voice strangled her, forcing her to cover her lips with a hand to physically hold her sobs in. Gently, Tamaki moved his hand on to her shoulder, but that was the drawing line.

The brunette's crying was heartbreaking. It wasn't loud or particularly anguished, but that's the part that hurt the most. As the other boys came closer to lend their own support, they could see how Jacklyn was struggling to rein herself in, but the tears only came out harder. Every so often she'd try to say something but got cut off.

Tamaki didn't try to shush her or pass her on to someone else. He remained quiet, holding the girl close. Around him, the others looked fairly awkward. The twins were lingering around the seat behind the crying girl, peeking out from around the felt chair. Mori and Honey stood beside the twins. Honey looked to be on the verge of tears himself, only being held together by his cousin's hand on his shoulder. He looked down at the stuffed bunny in his arms and made a decision. Kyoya leaned against the seat in front of the one Jacklyn was partially occupying (seeing as her upper half was bent low to enable Tamaki to hold her like he was). He did not appreciate the way his chest felt like it was caving in, but at the same time he didn't walk away or try to rationalize with the girl to stop crying. Still, the scene bothered him greatly.

After what felt like an eternity, the sobs regressed to the occasional sniffle. Jacklyn slowly pulled away from Tamaki, trying not to look at the wet patch her tears had left behind on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize."

She hiccuped, drawing her feet up onto the chair. A soft item was pressed against her side and she looked down to see Usa-chan being offered. Weakly, she maneuvered the bunny into her lap and clutched it tightly, a few extra sobs shaking her body as she pressed her face into the stuffed animal.

Tamaki gently rubbed her shoulder before standing up from his knees, "I'm going to work on my homework. Just one more page left."

Kyoya's eyebrows knit together. Tamaki had already finished his homework. They all had. But then the blond met his eyes and he understood. Tamaki was giving the others an opportunity to comfort their friend. Honey and Mori had given her the stuffed bunny, but what of the twins? What of _him?_

The others seemed to realize their President's plan as well, though the twins didn't look especially comfortable. They looked at Kyoya, almost pleadingly, but he had nothing. Exactly how _did_ you comfort a homesick friend? Tamaki had been completely fine when he first showed up in Japan; it wasn't like Kyoya had any past experience to use.

Suddenly Kaoru head jerked upwards, nearly hitting the ceiling, "Wait. Don't we have a karaoke machine?"

Before Kyoya could answer that, no, his family's plane did _not_ have a karaoke machine on their private jet, the two red headed boys took off for their own seats. In no time at all they came running past the group, heading towards the front of the plane where there was an open area, a television, couches, and a snack bar. And Kyoya saw a machine and wires in their hands.

He opened his mouth to declare 'Ab-so-lutely _not_ ', but Mori cleared his throat. Kyoya looked at the 2nd year. Then at the girl he was pointing at. Jacklyn was still clutching Usa-chan like a lifeline, but her eyes were peeking out between the bunnies ears after the twins.

 _Oh._

By the time the twins had figured out which wire went where, the others had slowly migrated to the front of the plane with them. Jacklyn had remained in her seat, but the boys could faintly see half of her face watching them from halfway down the aisle.

Hikaru switches on the microphone as he looks to his brother, " _You really think this'll cheer her up?_ "

" _Of course._ " Kaoru didn't look nearly as confident as he sounded, but he started scrolling through the offered songs anyways. There were a few songs Kyoya recognized, some he had heard on the radio or one his guests had talked about, but there was also one or two Jacklyn had sung before. In fact… there were quite a lot of English songs.

"Hika-chan, how come you have English and Japanese songs on here?"

Hikaru shrugged, "We didn't for the longest time."

"Actually, we got this for our ninth birthday and didn't even touch it until a few months ago. That's when we added a few English songs."

"Really?" Honey tilted his head, then he straightened up, smiling, "Oh! I bet it's because of Jac-chan, huh?"

"No!" The twins answered quickly, but their cheeks were a little flushed. Glancing down the aisle, Kyoya saw the barest trace of a smile on Jacklyn's face before she withdrew behind the other seat. He remained silent as Kaoru selected 'What I like about you' by The Romantics, though his thoughts were racing. This is precisely what he had been worrying about when Jacklyn first joined the Host Club; someone was going to fall in love with her.

Though, he couldn't help but wonder if the twins were capable of liking someone after only knowing her for a short time. They seemed to have a hard time letting anyone into their inner circle or come between them… so perhaps they simply admired Jacklyn? Could that be it? As Kaoru approached the first chorus of the song, Kyoya's thoughts drifted along a tangent.

 _Which of us is more likely to fall in love with her?_

He blinked at the thought, but couldn't help being a little bit intrigued. She was quite fascinating, pretty, kind, and had many other attractive qualities. And if she wasn't going away anytime soon, then there was the high probability that she would grow to be interested in at least one of them. _But…_ his eyes fell on each of his friends in turn, _which of us might possibly return those feelings?_

Tamaki seemed like the obvious choice. He and Jacklyn were pretty close, they were the same age, and while she didn't outwardly grow annoyed with him very often she still called him out on his 'dumb ideas'. Tamaki obviously thought she was brilliant. They even shared a few qualities, piano playing and having a different ethnicity than their club members for starters. There were few people who would deny they'd make a good couple.

Up next would probably be Honey-senpai. He thought Jacklyn was incredibly cute, trusting her with his stuffed rabbit, even. But that could also be the 'older-brother' complex. Same went for Mori-senpai.

The twins were the mystery. They greatly respected her, at least, and she could tell them apart, though their true feelings were hidden from view.

For a moment Kyoya felt a seed of worry bloom in his stomach area, but then he forced himself to calm down. At the moment, none of them were in love with anyone else. Not even a crush, as far as he could tell, so… he wouldn't worry himself about it. For now, he was going to appreciate being 'friends' with them all. Pulling his thoughts back out into the real world, he watched as the hosts congratulated Kaoru for the 89% accuracy. The twin smiled, then held the microphone up into the air.

"Who's next? If you think you can beat _that?_ "

The boys went quiet, looking out the windows or at their shoes. Kyoya quickly pulled out his journal and started scribbling letters into the air, tip of the pencil just barely hovering over the paper. While Kyoya wouldn't expect Kaoru to pick anyone beside Tamaki or Jacklyn or perhaps even his own brother, he wasn't about to give him an easy target.

"I'll do it."

Everyone's head whipped around at Jacklyn's quiet voice. She walked softly up the aisle, arms holding Usa-chan to her stomach. It didn't look like she could make it through another minute without breaking down again, let alone sing a song, but Kaoru passed the microphone over to her anyways.

As she started flicking through the song lists, Kyoya was suddenly smacked across the face with why seeing Jacklyn like this was so upsetting. The way she was sitting on the couch, clutching the stuffed rabbit under one arm and her knees touching, Kyoya was reminded of the first week he had known her. Small, frail, unsure of herself. It was like taking a step back in time, and he did not like it. Back when she acted like this, he had… well, he didn't have many good memories of Jacklyn looking this fragile.

After another few seconds of clicking through the list, Jacklyn finally stopped at a song. Kyoya didn't recognize it, but the twins appeared almost concerned.

"Jacklyn-senpai…"

"This song is pretty intense…"

"I know." She selected expert mode and hit 'Start'.

A few beginning chords started up. Honey was startled away from watching the screen as Usa-chan was placed back in his lap. Jacklyn smiled softly at him before facing forward and holding the microphone up.

"You know I know how…

To make 'em stop and stare as I zone out…

The club can't even handle me right now…

Watchin' you watchin' me I go all out…

The club can't even handle me right now…

The club can't even handle me right now…

Hey!"

Six jaws dropped as Jacklyn suddenly jumped onto her feet and whipped out a straight _rap_ verse.

"I own the night and I don't need no help!

Gotta be the feeling that Scarface player

Stuntin' go wild can't handle this plan

Life of the club, arrogant, like yeah!

Top like money all the girls just melt

Want so many all know me like Twelve

Look like cash and they all just stare

Bottles, Models, standin' on chairs

Fall out cause that's the business

All out it's so ridiculous

Zone out so much attention

Scream out 'I'm in the building'

Hey!

They watchin', I know this, I'm rockin', I'm rolling

I'm holding, I know it

You know it!"

As the chorus started up again, Kyoya was able to pry his eyes from the girl to look at the screen. _Oh… so that's what Expert mode means..._ There were no words on the screen. Jacklyn was singing from memory. The ravenette couldn't help but think that was odd. This didn't exactly sound like something she would listen to frequently.

 _Didn't she once tell you to get used to surprises?_

"Hey!

Still feeling myself I'm like outta control

Can't stop now, more shots, lets go!

Ten more rounds, can I get a K-O?

Paparazzi tryin' to make me pose!

Came to party, till I came no more

Celebrate cause that's all I know

Tip the groupies takin' off the clothes

Grand finale' like Superbowl!

Go, hard, run the show

That's right wild out got money to blow

More lights, more ice, when I walk in the door

No hype, I do it big all over the globe

Yeah!

I said it!

Go tell it!

Confetti!

Who ready?

I'm ready!

You ready!

Let's get it!"

Another chorus. The twins were now rocking out on their own couch, clapping along to the beat. Honey was bouncing up and down, Usa-chan jumping all over his lap. Mori, of course, was silent and still, but he was smiling up at the girl dancing in front of him. Tamaki, to Kyoya's left, looked like he was somewhere in between enjoying Jacklyn's performance or being appalled by the song. The result was an oddly constipated look.

Jacklyn herself? She was grinning.

"You got me watchin' now

Got my attention now

Got everybody in the club wanting to know now!

I am a ladies man

Come be my lady and,

We can both, soar, _high..._

Bring ya body here let me switch up your atmosphere

Take you out of this club and in my new Lear

Fly you all around the world!

What you want baby girl?

Are you ready to go, now!"

She began bouncing on the balls of her feet, laughter joining the hosts as they saw the symbolism from the last couple lines.

"You know I know how...

To make 'em stop and stare as I zone out...

The club can't even handle me right now...

Watchin' you watchin' me I go all out...

The club can't even handle me right now

The club can't even handle me right now

Let's celebrate now

You know who shut it down!"

At the final hit, Jacklyn did one more bounce and slowly let the microphone drop back down to her side. The twins rushed her, rambling on about how 'we didn't know you had it in you'. Honey cheered suddenly, making everyone look at Jacklyn's 99% accuracy score flashing on the screen.

She huffed, puffing out her cheeks, "I tripped up around the middle. Got tongue tied."

"Who _cares?_ " Tamaki jumped off his seat, pulling Jacklyn into a hug, "You were so amazing!"

"Hey!"

"Stop hogging her, Boss!"

"It's your turn to sing!"

The blond's face went pale and he released the girl, backing away from the redheads, "Oh no… I don't think- _run away!_ " He booked it down the aisle, the middle schoolers in pursuit. Honey began chasing after them as well, but was quickly pulled out of the way by his cousin as the three boys raced back into the lobby. They made a few loops around Jacklyn, jumped over Kyoya's outstretched legs like a hurdle race, and back down the aisle.

A few seconds later they all heard the Hitachiin's telling Tamaki that he couldn't hide in the bathroom for the next thirteen hours. Kyoya rolled his eyes, knowing they were back to their childishness. But he supposed they could only act like adults for so long, even if it was for a friend.

Speaking of…

Kyoya looked up at the middle of the open space, where Jacklyn was still standing. She had a huge grin on her face as she watched the twins try to break open the bathroom door at the other end of the aisle. Behind her, the television screen was still lit up with her score, the mimicked sound of a huge crowd roaring filling the plane.

Kyoya smiled softly. _No more tears._

* * *

 **Um…. I'm sorry?**

 ***Ducks as a potted plant soars over my head* Woah! Hey, hey, knock it out! I'm sorry it's late, okay? Really, really, sorry. Do you see me on my knees right now? I'm. Sorry. I don't understand why it's so hard for me to write this unless I'm in a time crunch! But look! It's done now! And I'm actually looking forward to the next chapter, so… maybe it'll come out sooner? NO PROMISES, THOUGH.**

 **Anyways, I just finished my midterms (though I think week five is a bit early for those…) and I scored really well in my Accounting exams (top of the class)! Business law…. Not so much. Oh well… always next exam.**

 **If you like what you read, please favorite, follow, and review. Pretty please, review?**

 **See you next chapter!**


	15. January 9th

**College is kicking my ass, and it's only gonna get worse. Apologies in advance to the readers of all my stories for the really long pauses between chapters coming up.**

 **But a big thank you to Momochan77, yoitsyourstruly, queenglitch, Bizzylizzy, and a guest for your reviews! You keep me going!**

 **Queenglitch, I'm not sure just yet whether I will rewrite Dealing With Renge. The more I write this story the less I like my old one. At the moment I'm tossing around just stopping at the end of this story or doing something similar to Big Sister Fujioka where I write the original anime but with Jacklyn in the mix (as well as the boys being a little altered, and no 'in-between' episodes). I dunno yet. But I probably will not be putting up Dealing With Renge again.**

 **Disclaimer: Still… don't… own… Ouran…**

* * *

"Excuse me, but you are Miss Jacklyn Prout, correct?"

"Hm?" The American looked up, her eyes mildly unfocused as they left the fantasy world on the pages before her.

Quickly, the events of the real world caught up to her. She had gotten to the school an hour early today, ready to sit in on the Host Club's weekly morning meeting, only to learn that Kyoya was doing a class representative thing. With the knowledge that the glasses-wearing boy was the only reason anything got done in their meetings, Jacklyn hadn't bothered to stay. She just grabbed her stuff and beelined into the nearest library, shooting a text to Nachi to join her if she finished talking to her teacher earlier than expected. Since there was almost no one who went in there so early in the morning, it had been pretty easy to find a secluded corner.

Except now there were two girls staring at her. The girl to Jacklyn's right was a few inches shorter than her companion with curly blond hair and half-rim rectangular glasses over her light brown eyes. The other girl had short black hair and greyish-hazel eyes. Jacklyn was oddly reminded of Kyoya when she looked at the ravenette, but chalked it up to the girl looking a little more serious than her companion.

"...Hi."

The serious expressions dropped as the ravenette smiled and sat down across from Jacklyn, "Sorry to interrupt you. Is it a good book?"

"Um, yeah." Jacklyn blushed a little, closing the book around her thumb since she lacked a bookmark. She'd gotten a few new books for Christmas that she was just now starting. 'I am Number Four' had been randomly selected from her new pile just last night, and she was already more than halfway finished with it. But these strangers didn't need to know that.

The blonde sat down and offered her own smile, "Let us introduce ourselves. I'm Kurenai Etsuko and this is Fusako Arakida. We're a part of the Classical Music club here at Ouran." Jacklyn's eyebrows went up. "The Vice president and President, to be exact."

Fusako nodded, placing her clasped hands onto the table, "We'd like to ask for you to consider joining our club."

"…What?"

The two girls exchanged a glance, their eyes soft as if Jacklyn was a little puppy who had just tilted it's head at them.

"We've heard that you're quite the exceptional piano player. And we'd like you to join our club!"

The brunette was tempted to look around and make sure these girls were actually talking to her, but she didn't want to look like any more of an idiot. So, like a complete idiot, she said the first words that came to mind.

"I'm already in a club."

Kurenai suddenly looked like she had just swallowed a lemon, "Yes… the Host Club. We're well aware." Fusako looked at her Vice President, but the blond wouldn't meet her eye. Noticing Jacklyn's confusion, the ravenette gave her an understanding smile.

"Kurenai doesn't have much appreciation for the Host Club. Our club times tend to clash often, and a few of the Host Club's clients used to be members of the Classical Music club."

"Oh." Jacklyn was surprised with the new information, but then she wondered why. The Host Club went on for two hours after school every day, held parties, and she had never considered the other clubs and activities their clients might've once enjoyed before they had first opened their doors? That was strange of her.

And, on top of it all, wasn't she living proof? By joining the Host Club, she couldn't participate in the school's Marching Band program… and she missed the activity dearly. Sometimes it was hard to not be bitter about it, no matter what she told the boys.

"I guess I can see where she's coming from."

The three were quiet for a moment, then Kurenai cleared her throat, "Miss Prout, I know you're already a member of the Host Club and all that, but you're there to play music for them, right?" She received a nod and continued, "I'm sure you've had a lot of fun playing for their guests, but you've gotten a lot of attention for your skills. And we think your talent could be used for something more concrete. Why not take your talent and use it to make a career? Our club travels to different music halls, puts on school and nationwide performances, and we meet so many different musicians and conductors. You could be famous. But… you would have to leave the Host Club."

A heavy, icy weight clenched itself around Jacklyn's torso before the other girl had even finished. She felt like her throat was closing up from her mouth down to her lungs, not allowing much air through. Her head was cold. The idea of abandoning the Host Club, the familiarity of her friends and what she knew she was good at, was giving her a feeling of panic she hadn't felt since she had first arrived at the school. The idea of nationwide performances didn't help either. And the way the two girls across from her were keeping such an intense level of eye contact with her just made it worse, her eyes threatening tears.

Clearly, her panic was obvious on her face.

"Woah, woah, don't cry! Please! We're not trying to scare you!"

"Are you alright?"

Jacklyn struggled to unstick her throat, "I'm sorry… I get anxiety… new things… I'm still working on it."

Fusako seemed to understand, because she relaxed into her chair again, "Ah… don't worry about that. I still get really nervous when I perform. I remember a few years back when we had a practice with the Tokyo Philharmonic. They gave me a solo to practice and I messed up a few times… I almost cried in front of everyone. It's scary sometimes, but eventually you learn how to control your nerves and work through them. Isn't that something you had to do at the Host Club?"

The American looked down at the table top. The icy weight was still in her chest, but her lightheadedness was no longer as distracting as it was before. Now all she wanted was for the two girls in front of her to go away so she could calm herself down. Thankfully, Fusako read her mind.

"We'll give you a day to think about it, alright? Please don't feel pressured to join us, but know that we'd be honored to have you."

"I… I have a debt with them. I play to pay it off."

The Classical Music club girls nodded, like they had expected it, "Not surprising with Kyoya Ootori as Vice President." The American lifted her head, her mouth opening for a split second before she snapped it shut. She didn't know why, but she felt like she needed to defend her friends in front of these girls. The host club wasn't as bad as they looked. But the two girls didn't seem to notice her diverted call to action.

"We can pay off whatever you still owe them. Don't worry about that."

Jacklyn just nodded, not trusting herself to talk less something embarrassing come out. The two girls stood up, but Kurenai paused. She looked down at the brunette, expression a little sad, "I know that the Hosts can be very entertaining and exciting… but would you please consider us? Did they give you the same consideration that we did?"

And then the brunette was all alone. She sat still for a few seconds, just trying to calm herself down. Taking a few deep breaths, she risked a glance at the clock looming just outside the window. Only ten minutes until class started.

Sighing, she slipped her book into her school bag and shouldered it. Maybe once she got more circulation to her head, she could think this through.

*With the Hosts*

Six eyes remained fixed on Jacklyn until she wandered out of the little corner she'd been occupying all morning. But the moment she was gone:

"What are we going to do!?"

"Jac-chan can't just _leave!_ "

"The Classical Music club could _easily_ pay off her debt!"

"Why can't people just leave her alone! She's with us!"

"Their arguments for her joining are hard to counter…"

"Kyoya! Who's side are you on?"

"Ours. Don't be a moron."

The six continued freaking out, shaking each other and arguing. When Kyoya had been released from his other meeting earlier than expected, the boys decided to go get their musician together and have a really short discussion in the library before class.

Only they had arrived just in time to see another club moving in.

The Hitachiin's had almost marched out into the open when they noticed how uncomfortable Jacklyn seemed to be, but Mori held them back. No use adding 'stalking' as a reason for the brunette to leave them. Still, now they were wondering if letting the Classical Music club speak with their friend without interruption was a smart idea. As much as they hated to say it, Jacklyn had looked interested.

Kyoya frowned down at his black journal. He flipped a few pages into it until coming to a stop at Jacklyn's debt. Since the day he had written it in, more and more information had somehow migrated to the page until he started running out of room for additional statements. In fact, her actual debt had been shifted until it was barely noticeable, running along the margin of the page, more than halfway paid off since they had come back to school last week. The idea of removing the page altogether should Jacklyn leave their club left an odd, sour taste in the back of his throat.

"Kyo-chan?"

The ravenet looked down to his right. Honey-senpai was facing the floor, but his shoulders shook as he repressed tears, clutching his stuffed rabbit tightly, "Do… do you really think Jac-chan would want to leave?"

It took him a moment to come up with a response. He didn't exactly have a very close relationship with the Boy Lolita. Other than a professional respect for each other, they didn't have much in common to engage in casual conversation. But now, Kyoya could tell the blond was trying to repress the panic of Jacklyn walking away from their club. An emotion he himself could feel clawing at his insides.

"I do not know."

Honey sniffled, pressing a trembling mouth to the top of his rabbit's head. Kyoya's hand slowly stretched until he could softly pat the shorter boy's head in an awkward show of comfort. Of course, the 1st year regretted it a little when his senpai suddenly latched himself around his right leg.

Thankfully, Mori-senpai scooped up his cousin into his arms, prying his small hands from Kyoya's slacks. The taller boy gave him an odd look before returning his attention to Honey.

Kyoya didn't get a chance to dissect that look before Tamaki was grabbing him by his shoulders, "Kyoya, you much have a brilliant idea! How can we keep Jacklyn in the club?"

"Well, I suppose-"

"Shut up! I think I've got something!" Tamaki released his best friend, turning away to start pacing up and down the length of the bookshelf. He was unaware of how Kyoya was pretending to strangle him from afar. "The Classical Music club is appealing to her talents… so we need to appeal to something more personal. Something Jacklyn couldn't resist."

Hikaru sighed, "Boss, that would be Marching Band. Y'know, the thing we're keeping her from joining in the first place?"

"That's not where I was going at all!" Tamaki was interrupted by the sound of the clocktower. The sound of a few students packing up echoed around the otherwise empty library. It was time to go to class.

The blond straightened, "Right. Kyoya, you and I can place the orders on our way to class. Everyone else, remain calm. We don't know if Jacklyn will even _want_ leave. After all," he flashed a winning smile, "they frightened her just now. And if they really want Jacklyn to join their club, they're going to have to try _much_ harder."

"Yeah!"

*Time Skip*

Kyoya watched for what had to be the sixth time today as another student slipped into class 1-A to present the Host Club's musician with a goody bag.

"Miss Prout? I was told to deliver these to you."

Jacklyn just nodded as she took the two large bags and waved the boy off. Her friends stared unhappily at the bag facing them from her hand. It was bright red with pictures of circular candies in all the colors of the rainbow across the front. Written in white block English letters in the middle was the word 'Skittles'. The other bag was orange with similar circular candies, but they were only the colors yellow, orange, and brown.

Kyoya didn't recognize the sweets, but Jacklyn must have. She sucked in a breath before slipping them into a cardboard box resting underneath her desk. It was filled almost to the brim with chocolates and other candies that he and Tamaki didn't recognize.

It looked like the Classical Music club had been prepared for a long time to start wooing the Host Club's musician. Throughout the day she had been bribed constantly with heaps of American candies, and it was clear Jacklyn was at a loss.

Kyoya swore mentally that if her mouth wasn't watering every time she was presenting with more chocolate, he would eat his journal.

"So, who's the lucky guy?"

Jacklyn's shoulders jolted, but kept her eyes on the book she had opening in front of her, "That joke hasn't gotten funnier since the last time you made it, Tamaki. Please let it go."

The blond nodded, but he looked sick. He had given his friend multiple times to tell them 'who' was giving her all the candy, but she wouldn't tell them. And he knew was beginning to rub Kyoya the wrong way.

"I didn't know you had such a sweet tooth."

Jacklyn fiddled with her mechanical pencil, twisting it around her pointer, middle and ring finger, "My mom calls me a 'chocoholic', but I like sweets and candies too. I've been cutting back a lot since I came here, but these are all the American candies I used to have. The ones you don't find a lot here..."

 _Ring! Ring! Ring!_ The three glanced to their left, out into the courtyard as the bell tower continued to ring. Noon. Lunch time.

As the rest of their classmates jumped from their chairs, Jacklyn struggled to balance both her school bag and box of candy in her arms as she stood up. She managed to get the box on top of her desk, then stared at it, as if hoping it would miraculously grow wheels. With a repressed scowl, Kyoya walked over and held a hand out, motioning for her school bag. The brunette eyed him carefully before handing it over. The lights above them were casting a glare over his silver glasses, but she could tell he was upset about something. What she didn't know was his glare was directed to the box resting in front of her.

"Perhaps you should leave _that_ in the club room. It would be an inconvenience to carry around all day."

Jacklyn's eyes fell, hearing the scorn in her classmate's voice. _I thought we were past all of this…_

"Miss Prout?"

The three looked up as a girl hesitated just outside of their classroom. Seeing their eyes on her, she ran in, shoved two small rectangular boxes into Jacklyn's hands, met Tamaki's eyes, blushed, and ran back out in less than ten seconds. The brunette didn't even bother calling out for her, knowing the stranger would be gone. _Guess that was one of the few girls who chose the Classical Music club over the Host Club. That probably made Kurenai pretty happy._

Then she looked down at the new candy in her hands. A small whimper left her throat.

" _No… that's not fair..._ "

"What?"

Jacklyn shut her eyes and shoved the boxes in with the other sweets. Unfortunately, one of the tabs caught along the edge of the box and four oval-shaped candies tumbled out over the other packages. Tamaki snagged one before she could stop him. It was small and shaped like an egg, fitting comfortably in his hand, and wrapped in red and green and blue tin foil. Jacklyn's mouth watered ridiculously fast and she swallowed, looking away.

" _Cadbury eggs… that's just not fair..._ " The brunette sucked in a breath that looked almost painful before taking the treat back and stuffing it into the box, "I need to go put these away." She folded the top of the box shut and scooped it into her arms. She shifted it a little before grabbing her school bag out of Kyoya's hands, so in hung from her fingers directly beneath the candy box.

Noticing her 'struggle-bus', Kyoya slowly reached for the bag again, "Jacklyn, I can take that to the lunchroom for you. Or perhaps accompany-" She shied away, walking towards the door.

"No, that's okay. I have something else I need to do. I might not be eating lunch with you boys today."

And that was it. Jacklyn left the room without once looking back, her face conflicted. Just as she walked out, Honey and Mori walked in, gazing after her but not daring to speak after seeing her expression.

"What was Jac-chan carrying?"

"Candy. Gifts from the Classical Music club." Tamaki sat down roughly in his seat, propping his cheek against his fist. "And she said she had something else to do this lunch hour, so she won't be eating lunch with us."

Honey's brown eyes began welling up with tears, "You… you don't think she's going to go look for those girls, do you?"

"Maybe. After what Kyoya said to her I wouldn't be surprised."

"What _I_ said?! I didn't do anything!"

"She thought you were mad at her! We're supposed to be trying to keep her _in_ the club, not force her out!" Kyoya scowled and turned away. He hadn't _meant_ to sound angry with her. Why must everything be his fault?

"Tama-chan, be nice. Kyo-chan doesn't want Jac-chan to leave any more than we do." Honey smiled a little, though his eyes were still a little wet, "He just has a hard time showing it."

The short blond gave Kyoya a small smile, which shocked him. First Honey had sought comfort in him this morning, now he was sticking up for him? He glanced up at the blond's counterpart, and saw Mori just nodding along with his cousin's words. _Both_ of his senpai's were on his side? What brought this on?

He wasn't the only one who noticed. Tamaki's eyes flickered between the 2nd years and his best friend a few times before a half-smile curved his lips, "I suppose you're right." Before Kyoya could ask what was going on, the blond straightened up in his seat, "When does the cosplay arrive?"

"In a few hours. We should have enough time to change and set up... so long as Jacklyn is distracted."

"Baisotei-sensei is going to talk to her about something when class gets out. I heard her mention it yesterday. Looks like Fate is on our side, gentlemen!" Kyoya hummed in the back of his throat, but didn't comment. Though, he was curious as to why their literature teacher wished to speak to Jacklyn. But that was a question for another time. Right now, they had bigger problems.

*Time Skip*

A sudden waft of chocolate tickled Jacklyn's nose as she walked towards Music Room #3. She turned her head to the side sharply, trying to block it out, but her taste buds were rioting.

 _One bite!_ They screamed at her. _One bite!_

It was taking an awful amount of willpower on the girl's behalf to not just rip open one of the bags and indulge herself. Her sweet tooth had been denied at almost every turn since she had first set foot in Japan. With the mentality that she couldn't just go around every weekend and spend all of her money on candy or ice cream or chocolates, Jacklyn had tried her best to abstain as much as she could.

Unfortunately, when she had gone back to America over Winter Break, all of the Christmas goodies she'd stuffed herself with had reawakened her chocolate cravings. And the Classical Music club was really testing her willpower.

She had tried to hunt them down during her lunch hour, but couldn't find them anywhere. And the students who had delivered the treats to her between then and now were of no help either. Jacklyn looked down into her second box of treats for the day, still wondering how long they had been planning to bribe her to join their club. There were white chocolate Lindor truffles, Caramel Ghirardelli squares, jawbreakers, Crunch bars, Jolly Ranchers, and, the piece de resistance, a giant 8 ounce Hershey kiss.

The smell alone was driving her nuts.

Her mouth started filling up with saliva again, but she refused to eat any of the gifts. There was something she had to do first, and she wasn't going to give in if she was going to feel guilty afterwards.

So, with a huff, she continued walking down the hallway.

"Miss Prout! Miss Prout, over here!"

The American nearly jumped out of her skin when a familiar voice called out to her. It was Kurenai, the Vice President. She and about four other students were hovering around the doors to Music Room #3, and they were all grinning at her. Jacklyn's mouth went dry as she walked closer.

"Hello, again. Um... what're you-"

"We're here for your answer!"

That pale feeling swept through Jacklyn for the second time that day, and she clutched weakly at the box in her arms, "I... I thought tomorrow..."

Kurenai shrugged, "No time like the present! And I wanted to make sure those Host Club boys didn't try to frighten you out of it. At first I thought it would be nice for you to just have some moral support, but then I realized why not make if official instead?"

"Kurenai! What's going on?" Jacklyn took in a deep breath as Fusako marched towards them from another hallway. She looked an _itty-bitty bit_ upset.

"I told you we were going to wait until tomorrow! Geez, don't you listen to anything I have to say?"

"Of course I do! I just thought-"

"Majority rule was 'No', and you did it anyways. You're supposed to set the _example!_ "

At least Kurenai looked sorry. She scuffed her shoe against the tile. Jacklyn shifted the heavy box in her arms, feeling more awkward by the minute. This was all happening because of her, and that didn't sit too well with the American.

She cleared her throat, "Actually, I've been looking for you girls for a while. I've... kinda made my decision."

"WAIT!"

The seven students standing in the hallway jumped at the loud voice, spinning around just as the Music Room's doors burst open. Tamaki Suoh stood smack dab in the center of the new opening, chest heaving a little and-

Jacklyn's jaw dropped, "Tamaki... what on Earth are you _wearing?!_ "

The blond chuckled, falling back into his typical flirty expression, "Oh, you noticed! Looks good, right?"

She couldn't find the words. Her classmate was wearing a red, white, and blue tank-top with the sleeves ripped almost all the way down his side, showing off more skin than was appropriate. His jeans were rumpled with a few rips in the knee, hanging low on his hip bones and the hems falling carelessly over his black tennis shoes. Jacklyn took in a breath, then let it out, giving up on trying to find a comment.

"Well, don't just stand there. Come on in! We couldn't let you girls try to take our musician away without a fight! You've given it your best shot, now it's our turn!"

In a trance like state, the seven slowly wandered into the music room. The first thing that hit them was the smell of barbecue in the air. Jacklyn could identify the smoky scent of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, which thankfully overcame the chocolate scent but did nothing to stop her stomach from rumbling. And was that... oh, that was definitely popcorn.

She took a step forward, intent on hunting down the popped corn kernels without mercy, but that was before she noticed the others.

The twins swaggered (yes, _swaggered_ ) up to the girl who had once again been shocked still. They were also wearing tank-tops like their club President, but the sleeves weren't ripped. Instead, the collars were so low they showed off about 25% of their chests. So… not a big improvement from Tamaki's. Hikaru's shirt was a bright red, Kaoru's a dark blue, and the lining around their sleeves and collar were white. Again, the red, white, and blue combo. On top of their heads, instead of their typical green hats, were two identical Coke Zero baseball caps, and Jacklyn could hear two of the girls whispering their guesses on which twin was which.

The twins must've heard them, leaning against each other with identical smirks, "If one of you girls makes a guess correctly, we'll share some of our gum with you~"

"Gum?" One of the girl's asked weakly.

The twins blew identical bubbles, popped them, and winked.

"Oh."

Jacklyn let out an amused 'hmph', the twin's blatant flirting breaking her out of her shock.

"Jac-chan! Jac-chan! Look at me!" Honey bounded up next, holding up his stuffed rabbit with a smile, "Usa-chan and I have matching jersey's, isn't that so cute?" The blond cuddled his stuffed animal close, liking the feel of the Detroit Lion's jersey's rubbing against each other. The smooth fabric was one he wasn't used to, but it felt nice on his skin.

"You're a Lion's fan?"

"No, but you are, right? Football! Yay~" He ran off, cheering random sporting words that occasionally had nothing to do with American football, but that only made his enthusiasm cuter. His cousin trailed behind him with a Detroit Tigers jersey. But there was still one Host left. A little nervous, Jacklyn's eyes slowly moved over to Kyoya. And she let out a breath of relief.

"Oh, thank goodness. I was worried you were going to be in double denim."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow, "Is that really the only comment you can think of?"

The girl shrugged and leaned onto her left leg, eyeing the boy calmly. The style of his clothes weren't as drastic of a shift from his personality compared to the others, but it was still strange. Okay, well, the varsity jacket was a little out there, she could admit, but it somehow worked well with his glasses and respectable expression. Beneath the jacket was a simple grey T-shirt, paired with dark blue jeans and tennis shoes.

"You look like the guys on my old school's Track and Field team," She decided, "The ones that joined the Chess club on the off season." Smirking at Kyoya's arched eyebrow response, she dropped the box at her feet and looked around once again, "What is all of this?"

Tamaki smiled, "The Classical Music club had the right idea: You do miss your home country, dear Jacklyn, but they simply did not think _big_ enough. _We've_ brought your country to _you!_ It's our 'America' theme day!"

The girl nodded in understanding, but she didn't smile. The blond noticed quickly, "What? What's wrong?"

"I'm really just seeing a whole lot of stereotypes." The blond jolted. "I mean… burgers, football, sloppy clothes… it could easily be read as something a little offensive if someone looked closely."

Tamaki drained of color and promptly collapsed to the floor.

Jacklyn stared down at his twitching form, an amused smile tickling her lips, "But... I think I know why you did it, and I appreciate the sentimentality." Her classmate didn't move, but she noted a little color had returned to his face.

"Well... Miss Prout. As much as I hate to interrupt," Kurenai was struggling to keep her focus on Jacklyn, occasionally looking around the room like she expected a circus to suddenly spring from behind the pillars, "You were about to give us your decision?"

"Yeah." The brunette turned around, nudging the box of chocolate with her feet as she did so, "I think your club sounds like a lot of fun. Really. But… I have a lot more fun here, to be honest. These guys are my friends, and I like hanging out with them. It feels good for me to play for their clients, too. And while your gifts are fantastic, I think I'm going to stay with the host club." She looked over her shoulder to see the huge smiles on the boy's faces.

"If you're sure..."

"I'm sure." Jacklyn bit her lip before hauling the box of candy back into her arms, holding it out towards Fusako, "Here. I… I don't feel right with taking them. The other box is in the kitchen… I can go get it."

Kurenai, who's face recreated the 'swallowed lemon' expression she'd worn only that morning, took a few steps forward before a hand caught her arm. It was Fusako. The ravenette ignored the Vice President's look of shock as she waved her free hand through the air, "No, you keep it. It didn't cost that much, and you gave us a good reason. I respect your decision to stay, but I still want you to have those. It'll probably remind you of home and any time you change your mind."

Fusako tilted her head, eyes narrowing a little in concentration, and Jacklyn was struck once again by the similarity to Kyoya. And again, she ignored it. "Although, I have a feeling you came up with your answer the moment we left you alone this morning."

Jacklyn smiled a little, and shrugged. The six Classical Music club members waved (though some did reluctantly) and slipped out into the hallway. The American had only a split second to feel relieved before she was wrenched into an air-tight hug.

"Ack! Tamaki! C-can't! Breathe!"

"Tama-chan! Save room for us!"

Still stuck in the tall blond's vice grip, Jacklyn felt three- no, four -solid thumps against her sides, legs, and back as four of the other hosts got in on the hug. Her box of chocolate and candies had fallen to the floor at some point during the hug, and her arms were pinned to her side. Just as her vision started going black around the edges, Kyoya spoke up.

"If you don't wish to lose our musician to a fate much worse than a classical music club, I suggest you release her."

Jacklyn inhaled sharply the moment she was able to, gasping dramatically before doubling over, throwing in a few coughs to get the message across. A chuckle redirected her attention to the one boy who hadn't tried to crush her to death. She glared at him.

"What're you so happy about? You could've stopped them a little sooner, you know."

Kyoya raised his eyebrows, but in a more teasing fashion rather than surprised or hurt one, "But that wouldn't have been nearly as amusing."

" _Stupid…_ why did I agree to stay?"

"Because you love us!" Honey hugged the girl again, happily giggling when she responded with only a soft pat to his head. "So, can we have some of your chocolate now?"

Instantly, Jacklyn's face brightened. She wriggled out from Honey's grasp and crouched, shoving candies and chocolates to the side of the box before yanking the giant Hershey kiss out. With a grin, she pranced over to the nearest table, a silly tune coming out as she started pulling the plastic open.

" _Take, me out to the ball game..._

 _Take, me out to the crowd..._

 _Buy me some Peanuts and Cracker Jacks..._

 _I don't care if I ever get back!_

 _For it's root, root-root for the home... team..._

 _If they don't win it's a shame..._

 _For it's One, Two, Three strikes 'You're Out'_

 _At the ol' ball game!"_

She happily unwraps the chocolate, unable to keep the smile off her face. Here she was, as far away from a baseball game as she could be, and _that_ was the song that came to mind. Perhaps it was the barbecue smell in the air? Or she was officially high off the smell of chocolate. Was that possible?

With a defiant _riiiiiiiip_ , the tin foil finally tore down the side, revealing the most beautiful expanse of chocolate the American had ever scene. The boys _oooh_ ed and _aaah_ ed along with her.

"The top is probably the best place to start!" Jacklyn's smile was so wide her cheeks were beginning to hurt. The twins suddenly bolted from the group, disappearing into the kitchen before returning with a cake knife.

They presented it to the girl, "Will you do the honors?" Jacklyn nodded, taking the knife and turning back to the chocolate.

"Everyone here wants some, right?" She asked as she began sawing about an inch away from the top. Surely that would be enough chocolate to start off with, right?

"A very little slice for me, if you wouldn't mind. I'm not the biggest fan of sweets."

Jacklyn shot Kyoya a ' _no kidding_ ' look, recalling the time she'd offered an Oreo ball to the boy over break, when she felt a sudden shift in her knife. Freezing immediately so she wouldn't jab the knife into anything important, she looked around at the chocolate.

The knife was probably halfway through the tip of the kiss, but the tip had already jumped off onto the tabletop. For a moment, no one said anything. They stared at the tip of the Kiss, where a hole now opened up beneath the flat side of the knife in Jacklyn's hand. The chocolate was hollow.

"I want an apology."

Jacklyn was pouting. She couldn't help herself. Her eyes were staring sadly at the cavern inside of the chocolate, her hands falling limp to her side. She knew it was stupid to feel so upset about a lump of chocolate, but she felt cheated. Weren't Hershey Kiss's supposed to be solid chocolate? What was this forgery?

A sudden flurry of movement reclaimed her attention, and Jacklyn blinked as Tamaki started ordering Hikaru and Kaoru to find the phone number for Hershey with Kyoya just behind him, cell phone out, thumb poised over the keys. Honey and Mori were standing behind the twins, the shorter of the cousins pointing at the screen, saying they could email a complaint as well.

"Wait! No, no, no, no!" Jacklyn couldn't stop her laughter as she rushed over, waving her hands and trying to shut both Kyoya's phone and the laptop. "Don't do that! I was kidding!"

* * *

 **Yeah, yeah, I know it's similar to when Lobelia went after Haruhi, but come on, it's cute. I wanted to play something on Jacklyn's sweet tooth and I remember I once got one of those giant Hershey Kiss's and felt so cheated when I found out it was hollow. So, I hope it wasn't disappointing.**

 **If you liked, please remember to favorite, follow, and leave a review!**

 **See you next chapter!**


	16. January 29th

**I've noticed that this story of mine is incredibly domestic in comparison to my other stories. I'm okay with it, but it does make writing chapters a little difficult without accidentally stealing ideas from the anime. But for now, please enjoy this typical 'friends visit from America' chapter.**

 **Also, next week is Finals for me, and I'm dealing with a lot of stuff on top of that, including a new job and a bedbug infestation. So I'm really going to try to focus my energy and effort on that for a while.**

 **Thank you to Momochan77, Down2earth360, Lonesome Road, swimmer1102, LMarie99, queenglitch, Siren-or-Nightengale, ahobonameddruggy, and Bizzylizy for your reviews! I'm glad you're liking this story more than DwR, I know I am!**

 **Disclaimer: Nuh uh.**

* * *

"Hey, so, my friends from America are coming to visit today." Jacklyn pulled out a small pinch of Reese's Pieces as she spoke, popping one yellow and two orange candies into her mouth. Even though classes hadn't even started yet, and her breakfast had only consisted of a small bowl of cereal, the girl had so much candy that if she wanted to consume it all before it staled, she had to eat some whenever the opportunity presented itself. As it was, she was so absorbed in checking the level of Reese's Pieces left in the bag she didn't notice the Host Club staring at her like she just announced an asteroid was streaking towards Earth.

"A little explanation would be appreciated at this moment."

The brunette looked up from her book and saw all eyes on her, "Oh, yeah. So, me coming to Japan for school was kind of a big deal back home. You know that." She lifted her five pound bag of candy and offered the open end to Honey, who took a handful, "Long story short, my friends miss me. They very recently finished raising enough money with bottle drives and bake sales and work to come down for a few days."

"And exactly _who_ is coming down?"

Jacklyn raised an eyebrow at Hikaru's sharp tone, "Just three people. Kelsi Ault, Daniel Strandkove, and Amanda Freedman. You okay?"

"Fine."

She offered the bag of candy in his direction, but the boy turned away harshly. Kaoru regarding his brother strangely before shaking his head at Jacklyn. She pursed her lips and settled the bag back into her lap, "Well, they're only going to be here for today. Kelsi has a cousin who works up in Okinawa, so they're staying with her for most of the week to learn about Japanese culture. Since they can't speak Japanese very well it works more in their favor to be with someone who can be with them all day long and show them around town."

Kyoya hummed and pulled out his journal, "I suppose we could let you take today off, but it will be added onto your debt."

"You're giving me time off?" The six boys _again_ looked at their musician in surprise, "What? You thought that since my friends were coming over I wouldn't want you to meet them?"

That was good enough for Tamaki, "Alright then! Men, we have a new job as of this moment! When Jacklyn's friend's visit, we have to-"

"Do nothing. They're my guests, I'll take care of them." Jacklyn crossed her legs and smiled, "Just be nice to them, and please be patient."

Glancing at Hikaru's sour expression out of the corner of his eye, Kyoya mentally prepared himself for the following hours, "We will."

*Time Skip*

"Here they are." Jacklyn bounced on the balls of her feet as a small car rolled up to the front of the school. She appeared anxious. The rest of the club watched as the car, that apparently belonged to Kelsi's cousin, came to a stop.

The back door exploded open.

"Other Female!"

A blur of reddish-brown hair and a black jacket raced across the courtyard of Ouran Academy and jumped onto Jacklyn. The brunette let out a shout of alarm, but the way she expertly caught the newcomer in her arms spoke volumes.

"H-hey Other Female," Jacklyn's voice was a little thick as she responded, hugging the redhead close.

"Jackie!"

Two more people were jogging down the pathway leading up to the school. There was a guy with dark brown hair, a cute boyish face, and an impish grin. Next to him was a girl with really light brown hair that matched her eyes, and a smattering of freckles across her nose. They came to a stop in front of the embracing girls, smiling as though it wasn't the strangest thing they'd ever encountered. From over the redhead's shoulder, Jacklyn looked at the other two.

"Other Female? Can you let go so I can-"

"NO! _My_ friend! _Mine!_ "

Rolling his eyes, the girl stepped forward and pulled the redhead off, lifting her in a bridal carry. She went without a fuss, only smiling as the boy hugged Jacklyn next.

"How's my sister doing? Your emails barely have _any_ details." The brunette didn't respond, only burying her face into his shoulder further, clutching at the back of his winter jacket. Behind them, the other brown-haired girl set down the redhead and moved closer. She tugged at the sleeve of the boy's jacket, and he let go. Jacklyn quickly threw her arms around the third newcomer. As the girls hugged it out, the boy looked up at Ouran Academy with his hands on his hips.

"So... a pink school, huh?"

Jacklyn laughed, releasing her last friend, "Yeah, I know. Doesn't even go with my dress."

"A- _hem._ "

The four Americans turned around to see six boys standing a little ways off, staring at them with varying levels of distaste and interest. Jacklyn merely smiled apologetically, knowing how the twins -and Tamaki, to an extent- hated being ignored.

"Sorry, guys. Introductions," she looped an arm with the girl she had hugged last, "This is Kelsi Ault, my sister-but-not-really." While her statement didn't make a lot of sense, the hosts did happen to notice how the two girls looked alike enough to be siblings. Their hair might not be the same shade of brown and Jacklyn might be lacking Kelsi's freckles, but their facial features did have a similar shape. And when Kelsi smiled at the boys, she did the same adorable tilt with her head.

"The other girl over there is Oth- sorry, Amanda Freedman. We call each other 'Other Female', but that's kind of a long story. She holds the title of 'official' best friend, because she'll throw a fit if anyone calls themselves my best friend."

"Hey!"

"Calling me a liar?"

The redhead scrunched up her nose, but shrugged, walking over and calmly climbing onto Jacklyn's back. The brunette didn't seem to mind, merely using her free arm to hold the newly acquired weight.

"And the dork standing over there is Daniel Strandkove." The boy flicked a wave, "My _brother_ -but-not-really. Similar situation to mine and Kelsi's, except he was mistaken as my dad's son once and one of his aunt's though I was his mom's cousin."

Tamaki raised his eyebrows, "So... you're not related to each other... but you claim to be family members?"

"Sort of like that, yeah. We're close enough to be family."

"I see."

Deciding to ask the blond what he meant by that later, Jacklyn continued, "All three of us were in the color guard back at my old school, which is how we got to know each other so well. Considering Kelsi is a year younger than I am, and Daniel is older, we wouldn't have had that contact anywhere else." Amanda rubbed her head against Jacklyn's, smiling happily, unaware of the glares she was receiving from the only other redheads around.

"Guys? These boys are the members of the club I'm in here. The blond is Tamaki Suoh, and the guy wearing glasses is Kyoya Ootori. They're in my grade and are the President and Vice President of the club. The twins are Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, they're still in the middle school. And the small blond is Mitsukuni Haninozuka, but everyone calls him Honey-senpai, and his cousin Takashi Morinozuka, whom we call Mori-senpai. They're cool. And fun."

Jacklyn grinned cheekily as the two groups exchanged 'hello's, "We should probably head inside. It's too cold out!" She started carrying Amanda inside, knowing the others would follow. What she didn't notice was the way the host club was hanging back, not willing to stand too close to her other friends.

*Time Skip*

"So... those are some of Jacklyn-senpai's friends from America?"

"How long do you think they'll be here? The guy is kind of cute..."

"Yeah. I was wondering if maybe they used to be an item with how comfortable she was touching him, but she's been like that with the girls, too."

"I've never seen Jacklyn so physical with anyone before. She doesn't do that with the hosts, as far as I've seen."

"Do you think they're jealous?"

The girls paused in their whispering to look over at the hosts. Most of the boys were watching their musician and her friends from around pillars and couches, annoyance on their faces. While they weren't saying it outright, yes, they were jealous. They were jealous when Jacklyn would get a hug from behind and she wouldn't pause in speaking to someone else, contently folding her arms over the ones now holding her. They were jealous when Amanda would sit on Jacklyn's lap like it was the easiest thing in the world to do. And they were _especially_ jealous when Jacklyn would laugh, ruffle their hair, and tell her friend she loved them before going back to the conversation.

A couple of the boys were refusing to admit they were jealous, but that wasn't the point.

"Why is she so physical with them? Is it an American thing?"

"Well, whatever it is, it's disgusting." Hikaru huffed and knotted his arms tighter around himself, "I don't see why they came in the first place. Jacklyn-senpai _left_ them. And now she's got us. She doesn't need friends halfway around the world."

Kaoru pressed his lips together, but didn't confirm or deny his brother's claim. In fact, he was a little surprised at how harsh his brother was being. Sure, it hurt a little to know he had to share Jacklyn with people he didn't know, but at the same time...

Across the room, Kyoya was unconsciously tapped his fingers against his journal as he studied the group of foreigners in front of him. Jacklyn was smiling just as wide as the moment she was told to keep all that candy a few weeks ago. And Amanda was still hanging off the brunette like a Koala bear. It should've reminded him of how Honey-senpai preferred to ride his cousin through the school rather than on his own two feet, but instead it just irritated him.

Speak of the devil, a small hand was tugging at his uniform top, "Kyo-chan? They won't tell Jac-chan to go back to America with them, right?"

"I don't believe so, Honey-senpai."

The small boy gave him a small smile for that answer, but still appeared troubled as he watched the Americans chat among themselves. Kyoya flipped open his journal. Jacklyn's original page had long since been taken out, replaced with a brand new sheet of paper. It had taken Kyoya almost 45 minutes to completely transfer all the important information to that second page, organizing it to not only measure where her debt remained but also keep enough room for the additional information.

 _I hope they will not._

The doors to the club room opened, Nachi Ichihara walking through them with her head buried in a journal. Kyoya watched the brunette as she made it halfway across the room before noticing the newcomers surrounding her host. The girl hesitated for a moment before shutting the journal and walking closer. Jacklyn noticed her and waved, prompting Nachi to walk faster.

The two brunettes had been a bit of a curiosity for Kyoya. Ms. Ichihara was the only guest of the host club who only requested Jacklyn as her host. He knew that when she first arrived, she had been interested in Tamaki, as most of the girls were when they first arrived, but now she rarely gave the boys a passing glance. The two girls would talk whenever Jacklyn wasn't playing the piano, and despite the fact that Nachi was in the class below himself and his classmates, Kyoya had heard that she was slowly excelling further among her classmates. And her writing was gaining more attention from her teachers.

The reason it caught Kyoya's attention the most was the fact that Jacklyn had helped her client achieve that. As a girl who had her own troubles with anxiety and new experiences, she seemed to be able to assist others with it fairly easily.

For instance, right now Nachi was talking easily with Jacklyn and her friends, a far cry from the day she'd first snuck into the Host club to speak with the musician.

"Hey, Kyoya-senpai?"

"Are you _sure_ we can't just kick them out?"

The ravenet looked over at the twins in barely concealed surprise. The two had been oddly silent and short with anyone who attempted to talk to them. Ever since the Americans had arrived. But they had initiated a conversation with him?

"Why are you asking me? Tamaki is the only one who has the power to order an executive decision."

Kaoru rolled his eyes, "That may be, Kyoya-senpai, but you're the brains behind the operations. We may _have_ to follow most of the Boss's orders."

"But we trust your judgement more."

Hikaru's statement sparked a warm feeling in his chest. They trusted him? He was only the vice president, he had no true power within the club if Tamaki were to put his foot down, but they trusted him more? The feeling got warmer. Kyoya wasn't sure what to make of it. All he knew was that it felt both very strange, and yet it provided an odd comfort.

"Well, they aren't paying customers, but under the strictest definition Jacklyn is not a host. Technically, she can bring in whoever she wishes to so long as it does not interfere with her duties." He frowned, remembering how her friends had watched in amazement as the brunette had played for them all just half an hour ago.

The twins scowled and retreated deeper into their chairs. Thank goodness the girls were capable of entertaining themselves by watching the Americans, because it didn't seem like the boys would be hosting them for a good while. In fact, Tamaki had snuck over to the group and was now sitting with his back pressed to the back of a couch. While he looked like an idiot attempting to impersonate a spy, Kyoya did admit it was probably important for them to have someone eavesdropping on the conversation. He supposed if Jacklyn's friends tried to convince her to go back to America, that _would_ count as 'interfering' with her duties.

But for now, he could only wait for the blond to come over and replay the information for him.

*With Jacklyn*

"So... you're here because they paid for your uniform. That's it?"

"Yeah. It's more expensive than it looks, and I have a few backups in my apartment, too."

Amanda looked up and down the yellow fabric, "I'm really happy we don't have uniforms back home. Why are they always so gross looking?" Instead of waiting for an answer, she rested her head on Jacklyn's shoulder, "The poofy shoulders are nice, though."

The brunette scoffed and shoved the redhead off, not in the least bit bothered when she put her head in her lap instead. Kelsi rolled her eyes, but she wasn't really exasperated. It was just her sass. Daniel was on the other end of the couch, still chatting with Nachi about the other scholarships offered at Ouran. Since it was almost February and Japanese schools started in April, he was curious as to who they were expecting at Ouran next year or the student's opportunities for studying abroad. Apparently, not that many. There would be another scholarship being offered to the public schools this coming year, though no one was really expecting anything to come of it. But there _was_ an opportunity being offered to the Ouran students from another school. Specifically, one in Spain. Equally prestigious academy, but they would be offering only certain courses, so the pool of interested students was pretty low as well.

Jacklyn had stopped listening a while ago. She would have to mention to her neighbor that there _was_ a scholarship opportunity for Ouran, but she was already studying abroad. No need to go somewhere else already.

"What are you doing?"

A male voice let out a yelp when Kelsi looked behind the couch. Jacklyn wasn't surprised the girl had heard something. She had been born without a sense of smell, which dampened her sense of taste but enhanced her hearing. It's one of the reasons she became friends with Jacklyn in the first place, she had heard the sarcastic comments the other brunette made while at practice one day and thought she was hilarious.

Anyways, Kelsi must've heard something from behind the couch, because Tamaki sheepishly stood up from his hiding spot. His eyes flickered to his classmate once before looking away again.

"Hey, Tamaki. Whatcha doing?"

"Um." The blond looked nervous, like he was trying to come up with an excuse but couldn't.

Jacklyn let him suffer for a few more moments before softly patting his arm, "You know that if you wanted to talk to us you could've just asked."

He let out a breath of relief and smiled, "If that's alright with you?"

"Sure." Amanda reached over and patted the chair to the left of the couch, forcing Jacklyn to hold onto her torso so she wouldn't fall off, "Pop a squat."

The blond nodded and sat down.

"You have some questions?"

Another nod, "Um... why do you two call each other 'Other Female'?"

Jacklyn snorted, "Okay, so... before Other Female joined the color guard, she tried out for the drumline for a year. Alec was a part of it, too, and at the end of the year we hosted a pizza night at my house. My mom was out of town that night because she was with my grandparents, so Other Female and I were the only girls there. And since she was one of the last ones to arrive, the moment I saw her I pointed at her and said, 'Another female!' For the rest of the night, when we had to talk about each other or get each other's attention, we'd say 'Other Female'. And it stuck."

"Yeah," Amanda nodded, her red hair clashing badly with Jacklyn's dress fabric, "Better than my old nickname with the drumline."

"Which was?"

At Tamaki's prompting, the redhead starting singing, clutching her fists by her chest like she was performing on stage.

"Pants Girl!

Wearing cool pants!

Saving the world, wearing cool pants!

 _Pants Girl!_ "

Instantly Kelsi was doubled over, laughing, while Jacklyn, Danial, and Nachi just started giggling. Tamaki stared at the redhead with his eyebrows raised, but even his lips were twitching, "So... you were 'Pants Girl'?"

"I went through a legging's phase. I had at least five different patterned ones that I'd wear throughout the week. I had the coolest pants out of everyone, and Jacob, my section leader, came up with the song." The girl suddenly pouted, looking up at the brunette she was lying on, "I miss Jacob. I should text him."

Tamaki let one short laugh escape before he recomposed himself, "Another question. Jacklyn?"

"Mm?"

"Why are you so... touchy all of the sudden?"

The girl stopped giggling, "Oh." She looked down, "I've always been... touchy."

"Really?" The blond thought about it, "You know, now that I think about it, you _have_ been doing it more recently, but not to this extent. How come?"

"I didn't know you wanted me to." Before Tamaki could ask what she meant by that, she stood up, "I have to use the restroom. If Kyoya asks where I'm going, let him know I'll be back before my next song time."

The five of them watched her walk away, and Nachi stood up as well, "I actually have something I have to do at home today. Goodbye, everyone, it was nice to meet you." The Americans waved at the other brunette as she walked away, but Tamaki remained silent, still trying to work out what Jacklyn had meant by her last answer. _I didn't know you wanted me to._ How could she not know?

"You guys are so lucky."

*Kyoya's P.O.V.*

Once Jacklyn had left, myself and the rest of the host club quickly gathered around Tamaki. What I hadn't expected was for Daniel to be staring at us with an almost wistful expression.

"You guys are so lucky."

"What do you mean?"

The three Americans shared a look with each other. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Hikaru grit his teeth and his brother lay a hand on his shoulder. I could understand his frustration. After clearly proving to the general populous of Ouran Academy how close the four foreigners were with each other, they had the gall to call _us_ lucky?

To be completely honest with myself, I would have to admit that watching Jacklyn interact with her old friends had struck a specific nerve with me. I knew from past experiences that she tended to give out gentle physical contact. It was one of the few things I had listed on her page in my journal. She would rest an elbow here, poke someone's arm there, pat Honey-senpai's head as she finished delivering cakes... those sort of things. While it was true that she wasn't doing it as often or as blatant as she had been for the past hour or so, I had noticed the trend among most of the boys in the host club fairly recently. Mainly Honey-senpai and Tamaki were the receivers, but she had recently expanded her behavior to Mori-senpai and the twins.

I had first started documenting the behavior just in case it was a method of closet flirting. Perhaps that was the one good thing that came from these three Americans dropping in for a visit; I could officially make the note that it was simply a way she shared affection with her friends. Only now, another piece of evidence was bothering me. More so than the familiar way my fellow club members were acting around myself.

Jacklyn casually touched and, some would say, caressed all of the boys in the Host Club. Except for me. It's clear now that those touches are her way of showing that she cared for someone, so the more comfortable and often she touched the more she cared.

So why am I the odd man out? Other than the obvious reason.

Of course, no one else seemed to care about that.

"Oh, come on," Amanda smiled at us, "She plays the piano and even sings in front of you guys! It took years for her to grow comfortable enough with us to do that. She's never even had a piano recital. You guys must be very special for her to do that stuff with you after only knowing you for a short while."

Tamaki shifted in his seat, "We sort of forced her to play for us. She didn't have much of a choice, since we paid for her school uniform."

Kelsi waved him off, "If Jackie didn't like it she wouldn't have agreed. She would've gone out of her way to not do it. And besides, she's comfortable with touching you guys as well. It usually takes her a lot longer to do that stuff, and we're the only three people back home she does it with."

"You guys are growing closer to her faster than anyone has before."

The Americans continued to smile at our little group, seemingly enjoying the bewildered expressions on our faces.

"So... Jac-chan's _not_ going to leave with you?"

Amanda looked shocked, "You thought she was going to leave? Other Female loves it here! If we wanted to take her we'd have to pry her from the front gates! I don't know what you did to make her like that, but whatever it was I'm so jealous of you."

*Two Hours Later*

"Jacklyn?"

The brunette paused in the middle of packing her school bag. She stared up at Kyoya with an innocent question in her eyes. The ravenet knew he was on the clock, considering how the rest of her American friends were waiting by the doors. Amanda was on Kelsi's back and the two were chatting with Daniel, but that wouldn't last for long.

"Yeah, Kyoya?"

"I just wanted to ask a question of you."

"Shoot."

"Very well," he tucked his journal a little more securely beneath his bent arm, "I've noticed that you are becoming more physical with the other members of this club. And I was curious... as to why you don't do the same with me."

The brunette straightened up, her eyes wide in shock, "What? Are you... Kyoya, does it bother you that I'm not... 'physical' with you?"

Suddenly, the many implications the word 'physical' could have appeared in his mind and the ravenet suddenly understood why Jacklyn looked a little uncomfortable whenever he or someone else used the phrase. He coughed, "It's simply something I've noticed. You seem fine with casually touching the others in this club, but you refrain from me. Is there a reason behind that, or is it still because... of how I treated you earlier this year?"

Jacklyn was staring at him, her eyes still wide as he awaited an answer. He would get one, right? Before she was called over by her friends to take them to her place?

"I didn't think you'd want me to." The girl shuffled her feet, looking a little embarrassed, "I've noticed that you're not one for being touched. I still remember the first day of school when Tamaki almost ran me over to hug you. You didn't seem to appreciate it." She giggled a little before continuing, "Anyways, I just figured I'd wait for a while before asking if you'd be okay with it, too, but I didn't think we'd gotten to that point yet. Except, it's a little hard for me, since I've almost done it a few times before I caught myself."

"I really wouldn't mind."

"Huh?"

And there was that stare again. Kyoya felt his fingers drumming out along the edge of his journal, and briefly wondered if that was becoming a nervous habit of his.

 _But why would I be nervous in this situation?_

"You've already stated that you'd do it at some point once both of us were comfortable, which I appreciate. I've simply stated I was comfortable. From what I've seen, you're not quite like Tamaki when it comes to physical affection, another action I'm appreciative of. So, if it ever happens in the future, by accident or on purpose, you can relax knowing that you haven't overstepped any boundaries."

The girl stares at him for a moment more before her lips form a soft smile, almost like she was proud of him. _What's that look for?_

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Jackie! Come on! We're going to miss the train!"

"Coming, guys!"

She gave Kyoya one last curious look, though her smile stayed in place, before walking away to join her other friends.

* * *

 **Awww… it's slow going, but Kyoya is starting realize he's actually becoming friends with his club members! And I know that Hikaru didn't have an outburst like you probably expected, but he and Kaoru were on the other side of the room for most of the chapter and then Jacklyn's friends told them that the host club was closer to Jacklyn than they thought. So... I'm saving the outburst for the sequel. ;P**

 **If you liked, please favorite, follow, and leave a review!**

 **See you next chapter!**


	17. February 13th

**Holy crap this took forever. I'm so sorry to my readers, but I'm not going to have a lot of time to write in the future. I'm not saying Hiatus... but I won't be able to keep up with my usual monthly updates. But I'm not giving up on my stories, I promise.**

 **Thank you to Down2earth360, LMarie99, Momochan77, queenglitch, BizzyLizy, Ravenclaw Slytherin, NightlyRowenTree, and a guest for your reviews! It gives me hope to know people like this story. (And BizzyLizy, the lack of scent thing is a genetic thing. One of my friend's has that, so I decided to incorporate it)**

 **Also, I know one of my other characters is going into Accounting, but it's kinda going to be my profession so I happen to know a few things about it. Sue me.**

 **Disclaimer: Eh.**

* * *

The sounds of birds chirping echoed across the school grounds of Ouran Academy. A few students wandered along beneath them, chatting with each other while they waited for the free period to end.

Staring down at the peaceful scene was a particular brunette girl, her chin resting in the palm of her hands while her eyes glazed over. In her mind, she was watching herself walking along a lake shore, a huge castle looming on the crest of the hill. A group of students were on the side of the hill, a short ways away from her, and they were sending up different colored sparks with their wands, laughing and joking with each other whenever the magic mingled into spectacular designs.

"Jacklyn?"

She jumped, her fantasy falling away, "Huh? Wha?"

Tamaki smiled, crossing his arms over his journal that was covered with math problems, "You still with us?"

"Were we talking?"

"I wanted to ask a question."

"Oh," she pulled her elbows off the table top, stretching a little, "Okay. What?"

The blond smiled, "Who are you making chocolate's for? Do you have someone in mind?"

 _'Make' chocolates?_ Jacklyn was confused for a moment before she remembered what the heck Tamaki was talking about.

Valentine's Day.

Tomorrow.

She couldn't figure out how she'd forgotten about it in the first place. Ouran Academy was practically covered in various pink decorations. There were giggling girls around every corner. Heck, there was even some talk about a 'Valentine's Day' Formal. _Honestly, who uses the word 'Formal' anymore? It's a dance!_

But on top of all of that, the Host Club had been making extra preparations. Black tuxedos with red or pink accents had already been ordered, the room was to be decorated like a Disney Fairy Tale come to life, and everything edible was going to be covered in pink frosting and heart-shaped sprinkles. Not to mention the extra couches and chairs that had been pulled out from who knows where to accommodate the expected surge in guests.

Jacklyn hummed, her right hand scooping up her pencil and twirling it around, just to have something to do, "I almost forgot. Is that why you ordered those tubs for the kitchen? So you can store all the chocolate you expect to get?"

Kyoya nodded, his eyes never leaving the journal in front of him. Jacklyn was tempted to remind him that she had agreed to spend her free period with her classmates so they could assist each other with _homework_ , but abstained... for some reason.

"Don't you think that's a little... arrogant?"

Before either boy could respond, a particular sound caught the three's attention. It was one they were slowly growing accustomed to: high-pitched giggling and whispering. Sounded pretty close, too.

The 1st year students looked to the side of the table opposite the window. Sure enough, they could see about four or five different pairs of eyes peeking at them through a nearby bookshelf. As soon as they were caught, the girl's giggling kicked up a notch and they pulled away, sometimes sneaking another look to make sure they were still being watched. They didn't seem to mind having been caught.

Tamaki smiled and winked in their direction, which sent the girls running with red faces and high pitched squeals. Kyoya looked across the table at the brunette, who looked stuck between amusement and distaste.

"We prefer to call it... intuition."

He was fixed with the 'Look' -patent pending- from her brown eyes before she went back to her notebook. The pages were filled with writing, half English and half Japanese. Probably for the free write paper that was due next Monday. Perhaps Kyoya would've start working on that as well, given free writing wasn't his cup of tea... but not until he finished with this. No doubt that in two day's time he'd be back trying to scrape together the financial mess holiday's usually brought. No harm in getting a fresh start.

Tamaki finally looked back at his own math homework, "You never answered my question, Jacklyn. Should we expect some sweet things from you, too?"

"Eh. I suppose I could play a few love songs tomorrow. You promise you got me the red and white dress instead of the pink frilly one, right?"

"You had, and still have, my word."

"And that's not what I was asking."

Jacklyn groaned, sitting back in her chair, "Tamaki, do you really think I'm going to spend money, that I _really_ shouldn't be spending, on six boys who have already told me about the mountain of sweets they'll be getting without my addition?" She raised an eyebrow before leaning her head back, "In case you've forgotten, Valentine's Day works a little differently in America... and it's not really my favorite holiday."

Tamaki tilted his head, pushing his math to the side, "It's not? But I thought American's exchanged flowers and sweets!"

"Only if you like the person. I used to get Valentines from my classmates when I was little, but after that phase... it became a pretty bare holiday."

The boys seemed shocked, "Nothing? You didn't even have a secret admirer who'd slip you a little rose into your locker? Really?"

Jacklyn smiled softly, "Look at you two... so surprised. No, nothing like that. My dad would send me a rose, though. He'd get my mom a whole bouquet, but he'd always remember to get me one as well." She appeared to reminisce for a while longer before speaking again, "But that's not really important. What I mean is, other than you boys, I have no one to give chocolates too. And you're already getting so much from your fans."

"So?"

"So, I'd rather not be bunched in with the rest of the groupies. Just grant me the illusion I'm different for you boys, yeah?" The girl smiled before leaning forward, "Anyways, homework, yeah?"

Tamaki looked a little put out, but pulled his things back anyways, "Yeah." He glanced to his left, where his best friend was already working on his journal. Was he not upset at not getting chocolates from Jacklyn? Well... for another reason besides the 'I don't like sweets' thing. It was really the thought behind the gift that counted, right? Well, there went Tamaki's plan for them all to pitch in on a huge gift for Jacklyn come White Day...

Kyoya made a small humming noise in the back of his throat, his eyes narrowing in concentration. His table mates looked up.

"Kyoya? Something wrong?"

"No... I don't know. It would seem..." he placed the journal down on the table and started flicking through the pages, using both hands to flip and follow along the trail of numbers, "that about five thousand yen is missing from the club's financials." Tamaki and Jacklyn share a look of surprise before stand up to move behind Kyoya.

"What you you mean _missing?_ Did someone rob us?"

The ravenet sighed in an attempt to keep his heart rate down, "Not possible. Unless they've somehow gotten a hold of the club's only credit card, purchased something, and managed to return it without being caught-"

"Where's it missing from? Debits or Credits?"

Kyoya paused, looking up at the girl in surprise, "Debits or Credits? You understand accounting?"

"I like math... and I needed another class for my Freshmen schedule. It clicked."

It took her classmate a moment to respond to the new information, "I'm fairly certain it's Debits. I've already double and triple checked Liabilities, and Equity hasn't changed at all. I'm trying to figure out what I forgot to journalize."

Jacklyn hummed, looking at the Balance sheet on the table, "Missing Debits, huh? Did you add in everything we bought into Inventory?"

"Yes, everything I special ordered went in. The cakes, the cosplay, the decorations-"

"What about the things you didn't special order? You know... something ordinary. Everyday. Something that... you might've overlooked because you were so busy with the technical stuff?"

"Like what?"

She shrugged, straightening up and looking around, like the answer might be written on one of the bookshelves, "I don't... tea?"

Guess it was.

"Tea doesn't usually cost our club five thousand yen."

"But with the big crowds coming in tomorrow..."

Kyoya's back straightened, eyes dropping to no place in particular as he considered. Eventually, he went back to the journal and flipped a page. The one he ended up on showed multiple rows of calculations, factoring the extra cost of cakes and the cosplay. And scribbled in the corner was a simple multiplication problem with a single word at the heading.

Tea.

For five thousand yen.

"Well." The ravenet regarded the markings with curiosity. How on Earth had he forgotten about that? It was so blatantly out of character for him. Then again, if he did recall, he had been particularly stressed when creating these calculations, and the twins hadn't helped by whispering their plan to prank Tamaki from behind his couch. In hindsight, perhaps if he had convinced them to not bother him, the tea wouldn't have been forgotten. And yet... it had been a lot funnier to watch Tamaki spit his tea out when he knew _exactly_ what had been in it.

A soft hand touched his shoulder, prompting the boy to look up.

"Problem solved?"

Jacklyn smiled at him, an almost teasing gleam in her eyes. Probably because she'd been proved right. Or because she'd helped him.

"Thank you very much, Jacklyn."

"You are very welcome, Kyoya. But," she tilted her head away, smile growing slightly, "I think you would've figured it out yourself sooner or later."

"Even so, you found it first." The boy closed the journal and picked it up, turning in his chair so it was being held in between himself and the girl, "You say you only had one class on Accounting?"

"Yeah..."

He smirked, "Then we have the same experience. Would you be willing to help me with the financials?"

"Wha-" Jacklyn looked between his face and the journal, "Like, for the day?"

"I was thinking of a bit longer partnership, but it's up to you."

Surprise didn't really cover the emotion she was displaying, but that didn't stop her from nodding happily. Kyoya nodding in return and put the journal back on the table, flipping it open again, "Now, with Valentine's Day coming up today, our inventory is going to drastically decrease this afternoon. Last year we had a large number of girls show up the day before, so I can assume it'll happen this year as well. It would be best for us to perform an inventory count after today's activities and figure if we'll need to send in another order..."

He trailed off, feeling a weight on top of his head. Leaning back, it dropped off and he was faced with Jacklyn looking down at him from behind his chair. Wasn't she just standing at his side?

"Sorry. Do you not want me to do that?"

"What _were_ you doing?"

"Ah... I was just resting my chin on your head. I used my hands as a cushion, though. Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I don't mind."

Kyoya was granted another smile before he straightened up, feeling her hands replace themselves in his hair, followed by another solid weight. It didn't hurt at all, and her fingers were grazing softly at his scalp, which actually felt really nice. Like a massage.

"Go on."

"Very well, as I was saying..."

The two continued talking, throwing around ideas as to how they'd calculate the number of guests likely to arrive tomorrow. Neither of them noticed how the blond on their right was watching them in silence. He was smiling to himself, wondering exactly how long it would take them to see it.

* * *

 **Look, I know it's short, but I actually had another half to this chapter that I decided to cut out. I mean, it wouldn't be fair if I skipped over Valentine's Day, right? So... half of the plot was moved a day ahead. Sorry. I hope you enjoy what I've written so far!**

 **If you liked that chapter, please let me know with a favorite, follow, or review!**

 **See you next chapter!**


	18. February 14th

**How about that? A Valentine's Day chapter on Valentine's Day! Or... close enough at least. Sorry, I had a paper to write. And what better day/chapter to throw in a little… treat? *Giggles***

 **Thank you to Momochan77, BizzyLizy, mema, queenglitch, and LMarie99 for your reviews! I hope I don't disappoint you all bitterly!**

 **Disclaimer: I still only own Jacklyn. Promise**

* * *

True to her word, Jacklyn did not get the boys chocolates the next day.

Instead…

"Happy Valentine's Day!" The brunette walked into Music Room #3 with six tupperware containers piled high in her arms. Honey was quick to abandon his lunch at the table and bounce over to 'inspect' the containers she was holding. Smiling, Jacklyn set the tupperware down on the piano bench and grabbed the second one from the top, passing it off to the small boy.

"That one's for you…" she turned back to the other containers as Honey pried open the top and poked his nose in.

He gasped, "COOKIES!"

Quickly pulling one out, the other boys got a glance at what looked like a chocolate chip cookie that had been shaped into a heart right before the small blond bit half of it off. Instantly, he got a weird look on his face and stared at the remaining cookie in confusion. Swallowing, Honey looked up at the brunette.

"Jac-chan? What are these?"

"Cake mix cookies."

At the explanation, Honey's eyes widened, "Oh…. they're really good!" He ate the last of the cookie and wandered away, already reaching into the container for a second one.

Jacklyn smiled and beckoned the others, "Come get your cookies, boys!" The twins, Tamaki, and Mori quickly surrounded her as she started passing the tupperware out, "No-bakes for Tamaki… Oreo balls for Kaoru… Mori's O'Henry bars… Hikaru, butterscotch munchies… ah…"

As the other boys started munching on their treats, mumbling compliments in between bites, Jacklyn looked around for the sixth member, "Kyoya?"

"No, thank you, Jacklyn," the ravenet was smiling politely at the girl from a nearby couch, "I appreciate the gesture, but I'm not a fan of sweets."

"Don't you think I know that?" The brunette smirked before holding the last tupperware out for him to take, "These cookies aren't all they appear to be."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow before slowly walking over. He took the container from her hands and removed the lid, frowning at the chocolate cookies within. But Jacklyn was still smiling, so he simply shook his head before plucking one out. It was soft between his fingers. Giving the girl another glance, he took a small bite.

The kick hit him first. He had been expecting chocolate, sweet and smooth. Instead, spice exploded on his tongue, quickly shushed by the barest hint of sugar and… yup there was the small taste of chocolate. But really, it tasted most like…

"Cinnimon?"

Jacklyn nodded as she began unpacking her own lunch from her bag, setting some of her classwork on the piano to get them out of the way, "They're called Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies. I've never made them before though. Are they any good?"

"Yes," Kyoya was staring at the treat in surprise, "I've never heard of these, but they're excellent."

"Good." The girl smiled before adopting a teasing expression, "However, I'd greatly appreciate those tupperware containers back at some point later this week." The boys nodded -too busy munching on their cookies to reply politely- and she grinned again.

Kyoya swallowed his mouthful and cleared his throat, "Well, we should probably begin setting up." He closed his container and went to set it down on the long table before clapping his hands, "Let's get to work."

"Ah, Kyoya?" Jacklyn raised a hand like she was still in class, "When do the movers get here?"

"Soon. In fact," he glanced at the clock tower outside the window, "they should be here in about five minutes. Could you go down to the front doors and wait for them? I'm sure they'd appreciate a guide."

"Sure! But should I..." She nodded at the many notebooks covering the piano. The movers she had mentioned were going to be rearranging the whole room throughout the lunch hour, including couches, tables, and the piano itself.

Kyoya walked towards her, waving a hand dismissively, "You go down, we can move your things to the table while you're gone."

"Thanks!" Jacklyn shared one last grin before lightly squeezing his upper arm and hurrying out of the room.

The ravenet waited until the large doors shut behind her before turning to the other boys, "Alright, let's clear off the furniture."

"Awww…" the twins groaned, in the middle of trying each other's treats, "Why can't the movers just do it?"

"Would you rather your classwork be accidentally lost or damaged than gather it yourselves?"

The redheads pouted, but put the containers down on the table all the same. The others started gathering their bags and papers from their usual couches. Kyoya couldn't figure out how their things had managed to scatter so far despite how they'd only been in the music room for ten minutes, but decided to focus on his own job. All of his personal affects were already by the large table they used for lunch meetings, but Jacklyn's items were scattered around the piano.

Sighing, he began putting her various papers and textbooks back into her bag. He was halfway done with the task when a small pile of papers slipped out of one of her folders and fell to the floor in a huge mess. Ignoring the twins snickers, Kyoya bent down and started collecting them up in his hands. From the looks of it, these were from their English lesson. Many of the papers were marked at full points, which wasn't surprising.

 _She got into this school for a reason._

He slipped everything back into the yellow folder and was about to close it when something caught his eye. It was their teacher's writing, sprawled across the blank space at the top of a stapled stack of paper sitting in the very front of the right pocket. Kyoya actually recognized the work. It was Jacklyn's free-write paper, the one she had been working on yesterday morning in the library, right before he had distracted her by asking if she'd assist him with the finances of the Host Club.

 _Full marks again_ , he noted, eyes skimming the notes from their teacher, _He was... impressed. Engaging... realistic?_

Officially interested, Kyoya sat down on the piano bench and pulled the paper from the folder once again, beginning to read. It was... a love story? Yes. Fictitious names, of course, and a little cheesy and short, but as he continued reading Kyoya had to admit it was like watching a movie playing out in his head. It was about a boy who had fallen asleep in a book store, and one of the employees there woke him up two hours after the store had closed because she thought he needed the sleep. Cute idea. Not a full, fall-in-love-at-first-sight thing or a one-in-a-million story, but a simple way someone might meet their potential boyfriend/girlfriend.

An idea struck as Kyoya reached the end of the story. Smirking, he pulled out his phone and snaps a photograph of each page before returning to his task of packing the brunette's items away.

*Time Skip*

 _Everything's running smoothly... for now._

Jacklyn sighed as the room's volume gradually increased, more and more guests flooding into the room as the Host Club opened for business. She sat at the piano bench, which had been moved to the middle of the back wall for the day, and watched as the pile of sweets and chocolates began to pile up in front of the boys. And while she didn't say it out loud, or even admit it in her head in actual words, Jacklyn was somewhat pleased that none of the girls had thought to bring in cookies.

Pausing in her people watching, she turned back to the piano and started her first song of the day. ' _Love Story_ ' by Taylor Swift. Yeah, not her usual genre, but it was recognizable enough and the lyrics were sweet. Jacklyn would play Disney songs later... perhaps ' _Beauty and the Beast_ '? That would be nice.

As she played softly, the room continued to fill up. About halfway through the piece Nachi slipped through the doors and hurried to the couch beside her, practically bouncing with excitement. Jacklyn raised an eyebrow at her friend, but did her best to focus on the song. Across the room, Tamaki was swiftly charming his ladies like never before, nearly double his typical guests drooling over his hair flip. Closest to the piano were the Hitachiin twins, Hikaru softly singing the lyrics to his brother who was flushed a light pink.

 _Dang. Laying it on thick today, huh, boys?_ Smirking, Jacklyn plucked out the last few chords before pulling away. It was short, but still a decent Valentine's Day song. _I'm glad that we're not doing that dance thing... they probably would've asked me to play the whole time._

"Jacklyn! That was amazing!"

The brunette smiled as she pulled the cover over the keys, "You think so? I haven't played Taylor Swift in a while but-"

"No! Your _story!_ I had to finish reading it before coming in! That's why I was late!"

"Uh..." The American's eyebrows scrunched together, "What story?"

Instantly, Nachi's face went from excited and pleased to confusion, "Didn't... it listed you as the author..."

Not quite sure what her friend was talking about, Jacklyn swung her legs over the bench. She stood up, which drew a few eyes from the neighboring tables over to her. There were a few gasps and some of the girls started waving their hands at her.

"Jacklyn! That story was _amazing!_ "

"It was so sweet!"

"I didn't know you could write!"

"Are you going to be making more?"

Shocked still for a split second, Jacklyn just stared at the guests before launching herself at the empty cushion beside Nachi, " _What story?_ "

Nachi swallowed before pulling her laptop out and opening it. As she logged in, Jacklyn's right leg started bouncing like crazy, thoughts and nerves firing across her mind. There was a site still open on screen once her friend typed in her password, and the American immediately recognized it as the Host Club's fan-page/website. All of their announcements and photos and such were on there, but Jacklyn herself didn't visit it often. She saw the six idiots almost every day. Why would she bother?

Except something was different about the site today. Not only were there red and pink hearts fluttering around the border, but instead of an announcement, there were six links that read 'Tamaki', 'Kyoya', 'Kaoru', and so on. Casting a nervous glance at her friend, Nachi double clicked on the one that read 'Tamaki'. It pulled up a new tab that looked like... Jacklyn read the first two sentences before her jaw dropped.

" _That's my story! That's my free-write paper I wrote for class! How did it..._ "

Her eyes flicked around the screen, disbelief and dread filling her whole body. Her face grew steadily redder as she started picking up on a few details... such as the fact that the original names had been removed. Instead of the guy's name, it now read 'Tamaki', and the girl's name had been replaced with (F/n) for 'First Name'.

" _It's... it's a reader-insert. It's a reader-insert love story with a Host... It's a reader-insert love story with a Host that_ they think I wrote! Wait!" She turned to Nachi with a desperate expression, "It says _I'm_ the author?"

The other brunette nodded solemnly, the reality of the situation starting to set in, before pointing at the upper right-hand corner of the opened document. Sure enough: _Written by Jacklyn Prout._

Said author almost felt completely sick... until she read the line right beneath her name.

 _Edited by Kyoya Ootori._

Jacklyn reached Kyoya's seat in record time, "Did you put my story on the website?" Her fists were shaking as the ravenet quickly excused his attention from his guests. There was one who immediately started whispering about how rude Jacklyn was being, but she didn't even care. If she were any angrier, the American was _positive_ actual steam would've started leaking out of her ears.

As it was, Kyoya merely sighed and took a small sip of his tea, unaware of the anger in the girl beside him, "Yes, I did, though you found it later than I thought you would. It was marvelously written, and I figured it would be quite a treat for our guests. It's received over two thousand hits already. They're quite impressed with your writing and many have started asking for more. Do you think-"

"No."

The boy tapered off, finally turning around to look at the girl. His eyes widened slightly in surprise when he realized she was glaring daggers at him. His guests had hushed, watching the two intensely.

"Is something the matter?"

"IS SOMETHING THE MATTER?" Jacklyn quickly closes her mouth, tucking her chin into her right shoulder for a moment, eyes closing as she took in a deep breath before continuing in a low hiss, " _You posted my paper without_ permission. _I found out from our_ guests! _You couldn't just_ _…ask? Of all the..._ "

Cutting off, she scoffed and spun back around, walking back to the piano. The brunette could tell without even looking that her outburst and clear signs of anger had attracted more attention than she'd planned for, but at the moment she didn't care. It might've been the shock of finding her work on the internet, or the anger at learning that Kyoya felt he was entitled to take and alter her ideas without consent, or perhaps it was more of the fact that he had done it and _never told her himself_ , but right now Jacklyn didn't care that people were watching her. She _wanted_ them to see how angry she was.

That wasn't to say she wasn't pleased with the reaction. However altered they were to properly cater the girls, it was still Jacklyn's story that got them excited. After all, it was one thing for your teacher to praise you for something that they asked you to do for a grade, but it was different when your peers started complimenting your work because they genuinely enjoyed it.

Stopping when she made it back to her piano, the American turned to the girls who were still watching her nervously. Somehow, she managed a smile, "Thank you for your compliments. I apologize for my manner... this was a bit of a shock."

"Oh, no, Jacklyn!"

"We just didn't realize!"

"It wasn't fair of Kyoya to do that to you!"

The brunette smiled a little wider at the support. _Huh. Maybe they're not_ all _stuck up brats..._

*Time Skip*

"Jac-chan?" The girl made a light humming noise in the back of her throat as she continued to pack up her music. Honey-senpai was seated beside her on the bench, bouncing Usa-chan in his lap as his feet swung back and forth. "Are you gonna be mad at Kyo-chan forever?"

"Wha- Forever?" She smiled and tousled the boy's hair, "Who said anything about forever?"

"So... you'll be friends again?" The small blond was staring up at her with such watery eyes that Jacklyn had to quickly go back through the last couple hours to make sure she hadn't said anything to really warrant his concern.

Finding none, she closed the piano lid, "Yeah. It took us long enough to becomes friends in the first place, right? I just need an apology before I just _forgive_ him. Understand?"

"Mm, hm." Honey smiled before hugging the girl, "You're so nice, Jac-chan! I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner!"

"It's okay. Just give me a little warning next time before you guys pull something like this." She squeezed her left arm around his shoulders for a moment before they stood up, Honey bouncing off towards Mori with his bunny wrapped up in his arms. The brunette watched them interact for a few moments. It was hard to believe some days that they were cousins. She'd hardly believed the blond when he first told her... but now it was starting to make sense. They _were_ pretty close.

Shouldering her school bag, she began walking towards the front door, already preparing to take a nice long shower as soon as she got home.

"Jacklyn?"

Or not.

Stopping, the brunette turned around to face her classmate. Kyoya regarded her for another moment before readjusting his glasses, "I wanted to speak with you regarding your outburst today."

Jacklyn's left eyebrow lifted. _Well, that's not a good start._

"While I do understand now that you would've preferred to have given us permission to use your work before it was published, I'd like to mention that it was meant to surprise you in a more pleasant way than it did. The host club believed you'd like a gift to repay the cookies you brought in this afternoon, and considering how well written your work was and the date, posting it seemed like the best option. Receiving compliments-"

"Stop."

Kyoya fumbled slightly, "Jacklyn-"

"No, no, you posted my story because you thought it would help increase the club's popularity. If you put it up for me, you would've posted it as it was, and you would've _asked_ me and then _respected_ my decision no matter if it was a 'yes' or a 'no'." She shook her head, "You need to learn how to admit you're wrong."

Jacklyn waited for about ten seconds, but when the boy in front of her didn't even change his facial expression, she turned back around, "See you tomo-"

A gasp escaped as a strong grip latched onto her left wrist, yanking her back the way she'd come from. Jacklyn's bag fell to the floor right as her front fell against something soft and warm. It took her a few seconds before she realized she was being held. Her chin was propped up on a shoulder, two strong arms holding her across her shoulder blades and mid-back. There was a strong heartbeat pounding out from the middle of her chest, and it took the American another moment to realize it wasn't her own heartbeat. She could just feel it from the other person's chest...

Kyoya.

Kyoya was hugging her.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I should have asked."

Jacklyn's mouth fell open, but no words came out. Even her thoughts were a stuttering mess as she attempted to process the situation.

 _What... what is... is he hugging me? No. Kyoya doesn't... no hugs. Never. Not once. What's he... why is-?_

He let her go after a few more seconds, quickly backing away. His cheeks were a little flushed, probably because of everyone's eyes on them, but he didn't appear to instantly regret his actions either, "Am I forgiven?"

Jacklyn realized her mouth was still hanging open and shut it immediately, "Yes. Okay. See you tomorrow."

Trying not to flat out run, she managed to maintain what little composure she had left until she got to the hallway. From there, she took off to the left and nearly threw herself at the door to the girl's bathroom. Stopping at the sink, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her whole face was red. Noticing her hair was somewhat frizzy from the run, she raised her hands to start frantically straightening it. Oh, her hands were red, too? How many places was she blushing? Wait, _why_ was she blushing so _hard?_ Just because Kyoya didn't usually-

Her heart skipped a beat.

Pressing her hands against her chest, she stared at her reflection with growing horror. Her brain pumped out a single question.

 _Is this a crush?_

Jacklyn felt her pulse jump up another click beneath her hands.

 _Oh._

 _I have a crush on the Shadow King._

 _Fuck._

* * *

 ***Screams***

 **Favorite, follow, and review if you liked!**

 **See you next chapter!**

 ***Continues screaming***


	19. March 13th

**I JUST DID MY TAXES IS THIS WHAT BEING AN ADULT IS LIKE IF IT IS I DON'T LIKE IT SOMEONE MAKE IT STOP!**

 **Ahem. Sorry. I just have a lot of stress. Anyways... I wrote out this chapter in only two days! Either that means I'm finally in the part of the story I find interesting or I'm heavily procrastinating going back to my dorm after a short spring break... perhaps the latter...**

 **Oh! I also got a review that made me realize something: I'm really good at slow burns. I have 3 (technically 4) slow burn stories going on at the moment… unless they're reader-inserts. Wow. I'm sorry. As a person who kinda hates slow burns, it seems to be becoming my calling card. Oops?**

 **Another thing: Momochan77, the free-write thing I wrote about in the last chapter is actually the plot for one of my Kyoya reader-inserts, Book Store, in case you wanted to read it.**

 **Anyways, thank you to queenglitch, LMarie99, yoitsyourstruly, Momochan77, and Avid reader for your reviews! I appreciate the heck out of them, especially for my less popular stories, like this one. Props! Hope you enjoy this little chapter. I think it's cute...**

 **Disclaimer: ONLY JACKLYN IS MINE! REPEAT! ONLY JACKLYN IS MINE!**

* * *

"Okay, so I think that if we don't add in the ice sculpture of a rose… we might be able to afford bringing in a few real flowers into the ballroom. Then the guests could entertain themselves by going though a little 'indoor garden' of some sort. Or... maybe some cherry trees if there are some in early bloom? Perhaps from a greenhouse?"

"Perhaps." Jacklyn almost flinched when a warm hand was suddenly on her left shoulder as Kyoya bent closer to the black journal in her hands. She turned her head away a little, hoping she wasn't blushing in any way that was noticeable. "But what of the blossoms? They could create a mess…"

The brunette hummed, taking in a small breath before turning back to the pages, "Yeah… but if we can control it somehow, like having a wide enough area around the tree for the petals to fall without getting on the floor, then it shouldn't be a problem."

"And what of the space they'll take up?"

"Who says we can't add in a few benches next to the trees? You hosts can cater to a few special guests underneath the falling blossoms between dances."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, his hand still resting on the girl's shoulder. Jacklyn almost wished she could ask him to remove it… but she didn't want him too. Ever since Kyoya had hugged her on Valentine's Day, the amount of casual touches between them had increased greatly. A tap on the arm here, a shoulder bump there... it was an ever evolving part of their daily lives. One that Jacklyn was all too sensitive towards.

"Seems doable. And it relates towards the theme better than ice. Smart move." Kyoya smirked at his accounting partner while simultaneously squeezing her upper arm before removing his hand, "I suppose I should make the call now, since the dance is in a week."

Jacklyn snapped the journal shut and passed it off to it's proper owner, "This seems too 'last minute' for the kind of party you're trying to plan. Is this how you always do it?"

"It's actually more time than Tamaki usually grants me."

The girl laughs, but quickly shuts it off. As the boy walked away, she berated herself in her mind. Back in America, she'd had a crush on another boy for about two years before getting over it… so she knew her tells. When she liked someone, Jacklyn tended to laugh a lot more often than usual, even at things that weren't funny. She'd follow them around everywhere. And whenever someone else was talking about them, she immediately started participating in said conversation. Basically, she became… annoying.

Now, knowing that she was developing feelings for Kyoya, she was frantically trying to not do anything embarrassing. No laughing at random things… giving him some space… those sorts of things. Of course, it didn't help that she found sarcasm funny, and Kyoya was fluent in it, or that he was becoming more and more comfortable touching her. This was going to be difficult to hide.

But for now, Jacklyn felt she was doing a good job.

Except, of course, for that _other_ thing…

"Hey, Jacklyn-senpai!" The brunette was suddenly squished between two redheads, "Time for your lesson!"

"Lesson?"

Hikaru smiled before slipping in front of the 1st year, grabbing one of her hands and placing his other on her waist, "Did you expect us to not teach you how to dance before the big 'Welcome to Spring' party? What sort of friends would we be if we hung you out to dry like that?"

"Uh…"

"Don't worry! We'll help you the whole way through it!"

"Picking out the _dress…_ "

"Doing you _hair_ …"

"And, of course," Hikaru pulled her closer, internally laughing at the way his friend's face went even redder as his brother came up behind her, making a twin sandwich, "A lady _must_ know how to _dance_ and woo her _partner_..."

Before Jacklyn could come up with some sort of response, a silver blur whisked in the corner of her eye. The next moment, Hikaru and Kaoru were sailing through the air in majestic arcs, Tamaki standing nearby with a metal bat resting on his shoulder.

Jacklyn blinked a few times, "Tamaki..? Bat..? _Why..?_ "

"To keep the scoundrels away!" The blond spun around to face her, making the brunette lean back before she earned herself a nosebleed, "Those devils putting their hands on you... I will not tolerate it in my host club!"

"Uh huh."

He looked at her for a moment, and immediately Jacklyn felt like squirming in place. This was that… _thing_ she had been thinking of earlier. For all the precautions and internalization of her newfound crush… Tamaki was seriously worrying her. He kept _looking_ at her, like he somehow _knew_ something. He'd never _said_ anything about it or done anything explicitly, of course, but there was that hint of-

"However, they were right about one thing!"

"Oh?"

"And what would that be, _my liege?_ " The twins groaned and rubbed at their heads, walking back towards the two 1st year students but keeping well out of 'bat swinging' range.

Tamaki straightened his back, shifted his 'weapon', and Jacklyn was almost disappointed that he didn't click his heels together, before stating, "For our lovely musician's first Ouran Host Club party, not only must we provide her with an appearance fit for the Princess of the Host Club, but we must also instruct her on how to properly dance! It would do no good for her to just linger at the edge of the party the whole night!"

"Wait…" the American tilted her head to the right, "So, I'm not playing the piano for the dance?"

"The answer to your question is both yes and no," Kyoya answered from the other side of the room, pocketing his phone to signal the end of his latest call, "You are our musician, first and foremost, so showcasing the skill our guests know you for is a must. However, you are also a member of the Host Club and you even have your own regular guest. I've already booked the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra to perform for most of the party… so you'll be playing one or two featured pieces, but for the rest of the night you'll be expected to mingle and enjoy the party just as much as the rest of us."

"Precisely!"

"Eep!" Jacklyn frantically stepped away from the swinging metal, Honey barely running up to catch her before she fell down.

Tamaki, however, continued to parade around, "As a Host, part-time though you may be, you must know the basic dances needed for any grand party as the rest of us! I'm sure that our guests wouldn't mind a fun dance with you should they wish to lessen their dancing nerves before approaching one of us, or even take some time to enjoy your company should they wish too!"

"Uh… are you sure?"

Honey eased Jacklyn back up into a standing position, but kept a grip on her dress skirt, "Yeah! Like with me! The way I dance with the ladies isn't exactly fancy like the others," he giggled, "But we always have fun! And besides, I wanna dance with you at the party, too, Jac-chan!"

The brunette smiled, "Oh… thank you."

"Then it's settled!" Tamaki lifted his bat in the air, "Until the party next week Friday, Jacklyn be taught how to waltz-"

"By us!"

The twins managed to beam their usual heart-melting smiles at their friend before they had to duck away from Tamaki's bat once again. "NO, YOU HEATHENS!" The blond glared daggers at the middle schoolers before forcefully pointing the end of his bat to the person standing on his other side, "KYOYA! You'll be Jacklyn's dancing teacher!"

All of the blood in Jacklyn's body rushed to her feet.

"If you insist."

And now her vision was going dark. This was _exactly_ what she had been afraid of. Tamaki… he had been doing things like this all month, ever since Valentine's Day. Paring Jacklyn up with her crush almost every day. Making sure they had plenty of time to 'manage the club's budget' together and letting them pair up in class group-work to 'spread his love to their female classmates'. And he kept _looking_ between her and Kyoya like he _knew_ about her crush… but he couldn't!

Right?

A body stepping into her line of sight snapped the American out of it, and she almost gave into a blush when she realized it was Kyoya. Thankfully, he wasn't fully looking at her just yet. He was smirking at their friends over his shoulder, as the twins and Tamaki started arguing about the blond's choice. By the time he turned back around, she was sure the redness was back under control.

Kyoya's smirk lost its sharp edge as he offered a hand to the girl, "Well, since we can not do anything else in regards to party planning at the moment, shall we begin our first lesson?"

"Um…" Jacklyn smiled sheepishly before taking the offered hand, "Sure. If you want."

*Time Skip*

" _Slow… slow… quick, quick, slow… slow… quick-_ "

"Jacklyn, don't forget to look at your partner."

The brunette winced, before offering a small smile at the boy in front of her, "Sorry, Kyoya. I just don't want to step on your toes."

"I don't believe you have to worry about that." He gave her a small smile before spinning her around, "You're a natural."

Jacklyn laughed lightly, but didn't contradict him. She was a little proud of herself, in all honesty. Tamaki had only wanted her to be taught the waltz, but the dance had come so easily to her that Kyoya had decided to teach her the foxtrot as well. She liked this one a little better… the song 'L.O.V.E.' by Nat King Cole was playing in her head as they danced.

 _Dance... We're_ dancing _…_

In an effort to take her mind off of the fact that she was dancing with Kyoya, Jacklyn glanced around at the others. Across the room, Hikaru and Kaoru were practicing as well, without partners, standing side by side as they moved in a box-like rotation. Mori was swinging Honey around as the little boy cheered, but Jacklyn didn't think that the tall boy would have much of a problem at the actual dance.

And Tamaki had one of his guests with him, and the two were dancing away near the windows, the girl obviously pleased. She had long red hair and a sharp face. The girl caught Jacklyn's eyes across the room for a split second before she abruptly turned back towards Tamaki, a small smile on her face.

 _Huh. I guess she's not one for sharing…_ Jacklyn had seen the girl around before, practically glued to Tamaki's side for a majority of hosting hours ever since she joined a few months ago. She'd never seemed very social…

"What did I just say, Jacklyn?" Her throat closed up almost completely as Kyoya gently steered her head back to face him, "Keep your eyes… on your partner."

"Uh…" _Oh, please don't let me be blushing… please?_ "So, this… ball, that we're hosting…"

"Mmm?"

"What kind of music should I expect?"

Instantly, Jacklyn wanted to smack herself in the face. ' _What kind of music?' Dummy! We're practicing_ ballroom dancing _! He must think I'm an idiot!_ She was expecting him to laugh at her foolishness, or at least give her an unimpressed glance before ignoring her, but Kyoya managed to surprise her. He merely smirked and spun her around once again before answering.

"Well, I've been told to expect mostly classical pieces, though there are a few modern arrangements that might pop up here and there throughout the night. I've specifically asked for the Orchestra to primarily play string instruments, to help give the night a more fairy tale feeling."

Jacklyn's relieved smile fell, "Oh."

"'Oh'?" Kyoya raised an eyebrow, "You don't seem all that excited."

"I don't? How excited should I be?"

He smiled softly, "Well, it is your first ball."

The brunette grinned, "Yeah, I guess you're right. But… I dunno. With only six different couples dancing at once, seven if you want to include me, it doesn't really seem fair to the other guests."

"They _are_ there to dance with their _hosts_ , so inviting Ouran's male population is probably not a good idea."

"No! That's not what I was talking about." Jacklyn tried a little extra kick in her sequence before the next step off, pleased to find it fit in with the rest of the dance, "I'm just not sure how the guests will be… _entertained._ After all, if they end up waiting all night for one dance, or if they get to dance at the beginning of the night… what do they do for the rest of it? You can only eat so much, and eventually the decorations won't be entertaining to look at. Besides, as you mentioned, they're all there to _dance._ So what's the point if they only dance once the whole night?"

Her dance partner was quiet for a moment, watching her in interest, "I suppose… you do have a point. What would you propose to… give the party a bit of life?"

She shrugged, "I have no idea. If they're content with having one special dance for the whole evening, then who am I to complain? And they can socialize with each other all they wish to. It's not… I just miss the dances from back home." Jacklyn smiled, her eyes glazing over as she went through her memories, "It may be my first ball, but I've danced with my friends before."

"Hmm…" Kyoya smirked, tugging the girl a little closer as she came back in from her latest spin, "What sort of dances?"

He only received a grin, "If I could talk with the musicians between now and the dance, preferably a few days beforehand, there might be something I can come up with to add on to the very end of the night. That way, if anyone doesn't appreciate the _slight_ American culture, they can leave. But, if you wouldn't mind… I'd appreciate it if you'd let me bring some of my home to your dance."

*Kyoya's P.O.V.*

 _Some of her home… perhaps she wishes to play a traditionally American song with the orchestra? Our guests would appreciate that. And it might earn Jacklyn some recognition from the conductor._

I nodded, "Very well. They'll be here on Wednesday afternoon to go over the basic time table and where they'll be placed for the night. You may speak with them afterwards."

Instantly, Jacklyn's face brightened. She cut off our dance with a hug.

"Thank you, Kyoya."

Ignoring the almost uncomfortable warmth building in my chest, probably from her body heat, I hugged her back. Clearly I just made her day, and the decision was beneficial to the club, so, as the twins might call it, 'Win-Win'.

Jacklyn pulled back, still grinning, and we continued on in their foxtrot.

* * *

 **Awww… little dance-y chapter! AND TAMAKI KNOWS! HE KNOWS THAT SHE KNOWS! Mwahahaha! Oh, and I'm writing about a** _ **dance**_ **for the next update and it'll be** _ **great**_ **and Jacklyn has a** _ **surprise for everyone!**_ **Ah! I can't wait! This chapter was actually completed in two days! I** _ **like**_ **it!**

 **If you liked, please favorite, follow, and review! I love reviews! I love love love them!**

 **See you next chapter!**


	20. March 17th

**Yay! Yay! Yay! I absolutely loved writing this chapter! I remember at the beginning when I would have such a hard time coming up with chapter content… I didn't like this story. And now look at it! AND I'M BACK ON TRACK WITH UPDATES!**

 **Thank you to queenglitch, Momochan77, Norigamiworrior, darkangelynn5 and BizzyLizy for your reviews on my last chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I promise all I own is Jacklyn!**

* * *

"What a perfect night to celebrate with you all, my Darling kittens! On this day that we welcome the upcoming months of Spring, the Ouran Host Club… welcomes you."

Right on cue, the chandeliers and various strings of colored lights lit up across the huge dance hall. As the room was thrust into the light, the guests gasped and applauded, their eyes focusing on the seven students standing on the staircases at the far end. The Host Club bowed briefly at their guests before straightening up, smiling at their happy faces.

Kyoya stepped forward and began his announcements while Jacklyn looked around the room. She had only seen it maybe once or twice over the week, too busy with the musicians and her own piece to have a hand in decorating. It was beautiful, really. The chandeliers were dazzling, and she loved the splashes of light blue and green that really played up the springtime bit. And the cherry trees in partial bloom that dotted the room were the literal 'cherry on top'. Jacklyn loved it all.

Of course, there was always the afterthought of how the official first day of spring wasn't really until next Monday… but Tamaki had wanted to have the dance _this_ Friday. So, here they were.

"Let the festivities begin!"

Kyoya clapped his hands together once and the orchestra started up, the crowd dispersing to start enjoying all the dance hall had to offer. Tamaki was the first to walk down and join the guests, the twins, Honey-senpai, and Mori-senpai right behind him.

Jacklyn hesitated, however, her hands nervously gripping at her dress skirt before releasing the fabric again. It was just too pretty to wrinkle.

While the hosts had been fitted for their tuxedos on Wednesday, Hikaru and Kaoru had practically thrown Jacklyn at their mother and told her to 'work her magic'. The brunette had been zipped into perhaps a dozen dresses before they finally found one that looked spectacular on her.

It was a very pretty turquoise color that started dark at her sleeves and collar bone, and gradually lighted up until it turned white down at her calves. The skirt was made of some of the lightest material Jacklyn had ever experienced, flaring out with every step and turn. Mrs. Hitachiin had loved it so much on her that she even threw in a pair of silver sandal heels to go with it.

After curling her hair a bit and throwing on the diamond necklace that matched her mother's, Jacklyn had arrived at the ballroom feeling very much like a princess.

If only her anxiety would let her relax.

"Jacklyn?" Kyoya stepped closer and offered an elbow, "Do you need help getting down the stairs?"

She pouted at the boy's teasing, but let him walk her down to the dance floor, her heels making the journey a little awkward. As she slowly sank down to be eye level with the rest of the guests, her stomach began to unclench. They reached the floor before Kyoya leaned close to her ear and whispered, " _Go check your piano's set up. No one will bother you there until you're ready to join us on the dance floor_."

Jacklyn could've kissed him, but instead settled for hugging the arm she was holding and dashing off towards the band. A few peeked up from their music stands and smiled when they saw her before going back to their job. She smiled back before sitting at her own instrument, resetting the music sheets she had spread out until they were in the perfect position. After double checking that the chair and stand for the cello/piano duet was still where it needed to be, she let out a sigh and looked out over the dance floor.

Most of the boys were already dancing with their guests in a nice waltz around the floor. There were a large number of girls who weren't dancing that were just watching or eating from the buffet. And Jacklyn was pleased to note that quite a few girls were admiring the trees that were dotting the outside edges of the room.

"Hey, Jacklyn?"

The brunette turned her head to the left, surprised to see Nachi standing there in a pale orange dress, smiling down at her.

"Nachi! I didn't think you were coming!"

"How could I leave you all alone tonight? Come on, I believe as your only regular guest I get dibs on the first dance."

Jacklyn giggled, but managed to stand up and follow her friend to the dance floor. _If Nachi can dance in front of all these girls, then so can I!_

*Time Skip*

"Wheeee!"

Jacklyn laughed aloud as Honey spun them around and around, not necessarily keeping in time with the foxtrot being played across the hall. As the world spun around her, the American caught the barest glimpses of the guests grinning at her and Honey having fun, as well as the other hosts dancing.

"Honey-senpai… I think I'm getting dizzy…" Immediately, the blond planted his feet on the floor and grabbed his friend, keeping her upright as the tiles tilted beneath her feet. She pressed her hand to her head and giggled, a little punch drunk from all the spinning. "Thanks."

"No problem, Jac-chan! So when are you going to tell us what you planned for the end of the night?"

Jacklyn smirked. Honey was, of course, referring to the special idea she'd had when they were planning this party. With Kyoya's permission, she had gone to the orchestra and pitched an idea to bring some of her own culture to the dance. Surprisingly, they'd been all over it.

"Um… well, after this song is my performance. So, after that I'll do the thing."

Honey gasped in excitement before hurriedly pushing her towards the band, "Well, go! We're really excited!"

She turned around to smile at the small boy, but then something else caught her eye. Kyoya was dancing on the other side of the floor, a short girl with light-brown hair smiling up at him as he spun her around. Instantly Jacklyn's stomach dropped to her toes and she turned away.

There was no reason for her to feel jealous or sad at all. It was just a dance, really. She tried to keep her spirits up by reminding herself that Kyoya was giving them all his fake smile, but it still irritated her slightly.

Even so, she forced those thoughts out of her mind as the orchestra slowed their song to a stop and everyone turned to watch her sit down at the piano. The couples who had been dancing also parted ways as one of the cello players moved to sit next to Jacklyn's piano bench. Domen-san, if she remembered correctly.

She and the older man exchanged a nod before she turned to the keys, " _One, two, three, four…_ " They began at the same time, Domen-san strumming his instrument along to the harmony line while Jacklyn took the melody. There were a few gasps of recognition from the guests as the duet continued on, their music shaping Ed Sheeran's 'Photograph'. Jacklyn smiled softly, but remained focused on the sheet music.

When she had been looking for pieces to play for the dance, she had tossed out the idea of a solo almost immediately. Why would she bother giving the guests something they got daily when there was a whole orchestra at her disposal? After she'd been given the 'go-ahead' and a partner, they discussed a few song options before finally settling on a modern rendition. That was kind of Jacklyn's calling card at the Host Club. She didn't play classical pieces. She played arrangements of songs that the guests would know, even if they weren't strictly 'Japanese'.

Her song choices were what she used to bridge the gap between their nationalities.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another group of girls dancing with their hosts as the cello took the melody during the chorus. Domen-san caught her gaze and smirked before they both refocused. Their audience was depending on them. For the following three minutes, Jacklyn allowed to lose herself in the song. She loved Ed Sheeran. His songs were beautiful, and 'Photograph' was one of her favorites. It felt so sad but at the same time so hopeful. It was one of few modern day love songs that she could appreciate.

In almost no time at all, she was playing the final chord, and the whole ballroom applauded. Letting out a quick breath, she exchanged a nod with Domen-san, who stood up with her and they bowed towards their audience.

Straightening back up, Jacklyn walked over to the microphone that had been set off to the side, her legs shaking a little as she prepared herself. Playing for an audience was a lot less scary than public speaking in her opinion…

Taking in another breath, she smiled and leaned towards the mic, "Hello, everyone! I hope you've all enjoyed the Host Club's 'Welcome to Spring' party, and the Ouran Host Club would like to thank you once again for coming out tonight!" The room clapped again, which made it a little easier for Jacklyn to keep her knees from wobbling, "Now, before the night ends, I have a surprise for all of you."

A hush fell over the crowd, and in their silence they finally heard the faint shuffling coming from the orchestra. The musicians were packing away their string instruments and whispering excitedly to one another.

Jacklyn cleared her throat, "Back in America, my high school band would host events sort of like this one, with music and dancing and good food. We called them 'Jazz Nights'. So, I was given permission to share that special event that is very dear to my heart with all of you."

The girls were murmuring among themselves, watching with heightening interest as a majority of the orchestra stood up and started rearranging the chairs and stands before carrying the different music cases away. The ones who weren't pulling extra chairs away were unpacking brass and a few woodwind instruments. Trumpets, saxophones, trombones, and many others. A few were even pulling out a drum-set from behind a nearby curtain.

As they finished setting up, Jacklyn smiled, "I really hope you like the music we've planned out for you, but I will understand if you don't wish to stay." Despite her fear that the guests weren't going to enjoy this change in atmosphere, the whole room seemed to be watching the band in curiosity and excitement.

 _Well, I suppose that's a pretty good sign._

Turning back towards what used to be the orchestra, but had since been transformed into a jazz band, Jacklyn smiled at the conductor, "Are we ready?"

They nodded, and the American smiled a little wider when she realized how excited they looked as well. She remembered just how ecstatic they'd been when she requested a few jazz pieces as well as their usual classical music. They rarely had the opportunity to play their brass instruments, despite how most of them had studied more than just string instruments throughout their lives as musicians.

Just as Jacklyn turned off the microphone, the conductor gestured towards the drum-set player. He bounced his shoulders in excitement before starting the beginning beat. It was one that the brunette recognized instantly, considering her brother was also the drum-set player for the jazz band back home.

It was no question that 'Sing sing sing' by Benny Goodman was one of her personal favorites.

Across the way, Tamaki gasped, his eyes widening. He _recognized_ the piece. And then the trumpets started playing. The blond spotted Jacklyn quickly hurrying to join the musicians who were now also standing on the dance floor. They were in their dark blue outfits, but as the melody began picking up they started dancing with each other anyways. It didn't look like they cared who with either.

The blond ran forward and grabbed Jacklyn's hand, surprising the girl, but she started laughing in amazement as the boy began swing dancing with her.

"You know it?"

"I love it!"

The next thing either of them knew, the rest of the guests were dancing as well. The beat and melody were just too infectious to ignore. The two 1st years got separated quickly, the press of bodies too much, but Nachi suddenly appeared in front of her friend again and they began dancing like the two cool losers they were. The clarinet player stood up, starting his solo, and the twins spun around between the two girls before disappearing back into the crowd, leaving Jacklyn laughing like an idiot.

At the second drum break, Nachi's eyes lit up in amusement and she started backing away. Jacklyn almost asked her what she was doing, but then she felt a tap on her left shoulder. Spinning around, Kyoya immediately stepped in front of her and grabbed her hands.

"May I cut in?"

The brunette lifted an eyebrow, "You _do_ know how to swing dance, right?"

"Not entirely," Kyoya smirked and spun the girl around, still managing to fit the song well enough, "But perhaps you should teach me. To repay for your own dance lessons, of course."

Jacklyn laughed again, "Fine! Just follow my lead after this next drum break. If you can keep up~"

"Is that a challenge?"

The two continued to dance, Kyoya occasionally fumbling before Jacklyn quickly corrected his moves. Nearby, Honey and Mori danced around, eyeballing the two 1st year students as they bickered with smiles on their faces. This continued on for the rest of the song and long into the next one. After a while of watching the interaction, the short blond tugged at his cousin's tuxedo sleeve until they made it to the edge of the crowd.

"They like each other, don't they, Takashi?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think they know it yet?"

"Jacklyn only."

"Should we tell Kyo-chan?"

"No. Let him figure it out himself."

Honey nodded, "Right." He tried to look through the crowd and see if the two were still dancing, but instead he noticed another dancing pair that was separated from the rest of the party-goers. It was Tama-chan and Ayanokoji-san, from his and Takashi's class. He didn't like her very much, but she liked Tamaki and Honey didn't like to badmouth anyone.

But the two weren't dancing to the music. Instead, it looked like they were waltzing still. Honey's eyebrows crinkled a bit. Tamaki had clearly loved the jazz music, so why weren't they joining in on the fun?

They spun around and Honey noticed that his classmate was talking. And she didn't look very happy. As he watched, the redhead glanced at the band and dancing students and wrinkled her nose, turning back to her partner and shaking her head. Was she… complaining about the music? If she didn't like it, then why didn't she leave? Jacklyn had said it was okay, and that she didn't want to force anyone to listen to it if they didn't want to…

The two turned around again, and Tamaki appeared to be listening to the girl, though his face was passive. He wasn't nodding along, but neither was he saying anything back to her.

"He's being a gentleman."

Honey hummed, "I don't think Ayanokoji-san likes Jac-chan… but I'm not sure if she likes anyone other than Tama-chan, either."

His cousin hummed, then the two went back into the group, letting the happy sounds of jazz wash over them until they forgot about the bitter Princess.

* * *

 **Just so you can check them out, the name of the piano/cello players for the Ed Sheeran's 'Photograph' is Brooklyn Duo! I highly recommend them! And the Jazz piece is also one of my favorites, so I recommend that, too!**

 **And YAYYY! More people know! Also, Ayanokoji is a jealous, bitter, b-word. I don't like her, and can't wait to get rid of her in the first chapter of the sequel- AH! I MEAN… oops.**

 **If you liked, please favorite, follow, and review!**

 **See you next chapter!**


	21. March 22nd

**So, I know this is late… and you've been waiting for this for over a month… but I think you'll really like this chapter? I mean, I liked writing it, and there's a thingy in here that I think will be very much appreciated. Please accept my olive branch of peace?**

 **Thank you to queenglitch, Momochan77, and Infernoinside for reviewing my last chapter! I'm glad that my Jazz Night chapter went over well. I based it off of an actual event my old high school hosts every year and it was one of my favorite times of the year, so it's really nice to share it with you all!**

 **Disclaimer: Nnnnnope! I do not own OHSHC or 'In the Mood' by Glenn Miller**

* * *

The lively sounds of a saxophone filled Music Room #3 with peppy jazz as Jacklyn happily wiped down a tabletop, a cart full of flower vases with various colored roses placed in them waiting beside her. As the trumpets came in, the brunette spun around in a complete circle before placing one of the red flowers on the newly cleaned table and continuing on. Her heels clicked against the floor in time with the music, ponytail swinging left and right as she spun around the table. If her smile was anything to go by, she was very much enjoying herself.

Though Kyoya could not understand why.

 _What is so joyful about cleaning to music?_ He pondered that thought for a while as he continued to watch her dance, pausing halfway between two tables to pretend to swing dance with an invisible partner. As he watched Jacklyn laugh as her imaginary partner swung her around, Kyoya couldn't help but smile. She was certainly enjoying herself. Perhaps just as much as she had last Friday.

Was that it, possibly? Pretending to do something you enjoyed while performing chores instead. He wondered if his family's staff ever had their headphones in while they tidied up around the mansion.

A few moments later, when the song switched to another jazz piece, Kyoya remembered he was supposed to be focusing on the club's financials. Jacklyn had already gone over the math from the increased crowds after the party, so all that was left was to double check everything to ensure it balanced out.

But… he was having a hard time looking away from the dancing girl.

Shaking his head in an attempt to refocus, Kyoya was able to turn back to his journal… but his eyes slid to the left once again as Jacklyn's voice suddenly rang out, singing along to the song's instrumental melody. She was still dancing, her arms poised elegantly in the air as she spun around. It took Kyoya another fifteen seconds before he realized he had once again lost focus.

With a soft growl, he forced himself to stare at the journal in his hands. Letting out a deep breath of air, he lifted his calculator up and poised a finger over the buttons to start checking the balance… when he paused. Staring down at Jacklyn's handwriting in front of him, Kyoya couldn't help but take note of the little quirks in her numbers. It was obvious around which part in the page she became confident with her calculations, as the strokes became slightly connected to each other, her pen having not been lifted from the page in her haste to write everything down.

 _Thump thump_

Kyoya nearly dropped his calculator. Quickly setting it down on the couch beside him, the ravenet lifted a hand and pressed it just above his heart, eyes a little wide with worry. It felt like his heart had skipped a beat. That wasn't normal… so why did…

"Kyoya? You almost done over there?"

His face felt hot and his heartbeat suddenly quickened beneath his hand, so instead of turning to look at her directly, Kyoya merely raised his voice and responded, "Not quite."

"Okay! I'll be in the kitchen if you need me. The others should be up in a few minutes." Peeking over the back of his couch, Kyoya watched as the brunette disappeared into the kitchen, her MP3 in hand. As the doors fell shut, cutting off the music, the ravenet turned back around and snapped his journal shut.

There was no way he'd be able to focus on that now.

Leaning his back fully against the back cushions, Kyoya allowed for his brain to start working through the variables. Jacklyn. He likes speaking with her. And working with her. She wasn't annoying like the others and while she wasn't as goal-oriented as he was, she could focus well enough to not make their joint projects tedious.

On a more personal level, he also enjoyed her as a person. He was starting to like things such as physical contact and sarcastic banter, but only from Jacklyn. It confused Kyoya to no end why hugs from the brunette were so much more enjoyable than ones from Tamaki. And… he thought she was really pretty. Clearly, or he wouldn't look at her so often, just as he had been a few moments ago. Even when she wasn't dancing, such as when the two were sitting in class, Kyoya would find himself sneaking glances at the girl for no reason other than to look.

Opening his eyes, not quite sure when he had closed them, Kyoya frowned. This was all sounding like… a crush. But it couldn't be that, correct? It didn't make sense for him to have developed 'romantic' feelings for Jacklyn. It… didn't really sound like something he should be doing. Besides, once the school year was over her debt will be completely paid off and she'll leave the club-

Kyoya pressed his hand to his chest once again, frown deepening at the feeling of something inside of him twisting into a painful shape.

 _Oh._

 _Perhaps I do have a crush on Jacklyn._

 _Oh dear…_

 _BANG!_

"JACKLYN GET OUT HERE WE HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU!"

Kyoya jolted in his seat, the sudden loud noise giving his heart a jump start. And it was probably good that it did, because he could've sworn that it had stopped completely after his latest revelation. Speaking of, he found he couldn't even move from his spot as Jacklyn walked out of the kitchen just in time to see at least five men following her friends into the club room, hauling long metal poles and some strange black fabric with them.

The American tilted her head slightly, pressing the stop button on her MP3 as she ventured further out into the room, "What's… going on out here?" She tried to spot Kyoya to see if he knew what was going on, but the ravenet wasn't looking at her. Tamaki answered instead.

"Remember when we were texting last night and I asked you what a trampoline was like?"

"Yeah…"

"And you told me it was a lot of fun and you'd _always_ wanted a trampoline but your family could never afford one?"

"Yeah… and we don't have the space for one… since our yard is basically a huge hill…"

Tamaki grinned and began pushing a table away from the center of the room, "Well, then it's a good thing we're only renting this thing for the afternoon, right?"

Jacklyn's jaw dropped, her eyes growing wide, "You did not…" Her mouth curled into a disbelieving smile as she watched the five men slowly construct the trampoline in the middle of the room. In less time than she thought it would take, Jacklyn found herself staring at a _gigantic_ trampoline sitting smack-dab in the middle of Music Room #3.

When she didn't move, Honey nudged the girl's side, "Jac-chan?"

"It's _huge…_ "

"Uh huh. This way we can _all_ bounce on it! Aren't you gonna get on?"

Without another word, the brunette slipped off her shoes and socks before hoisting herself up over the edge of the trampoline and through the little opening in the mesh that surrounded the side of the toy. Carefully making her way to the middle, she began bouncing. The large size of the trampoline gave her a much higher bounce than she had gotten with the one her friend had owned, but she loved it.

Laughing, she dropped to a sitting position before bouncing back to her feet, grinning at the opening as the twins quickly climbed up onto the thing as well. Without having even taken a step, Kaoru fell down, not used to the strange surface. Hikaru started laughing, so Jacklyn jumped over to where they were and bounced right next to him. Immediate face-plant.

Soon enough, almost everyone was on the trampoline. As the boys shakily began bouncing around, getting used to the strange surface, Jacklyn came to a stop at the very edge, smiling out at the only one still on solid ground.

"Kyoya! Get up here!"

The ravenet raised an eyebrow and glanced up at the smiling girl. Oh, how he hoped he was not blushing. "And why should I do that?"

"To... play with us?" Jacklyn's smile fell, the girl dropping to her knees, "We don't always get to just… hang out together and have fun. I thought you'd like to participate. It won't be as fun if we're missing someone."

Kyoya's chest had another little painful twinge at the sad tone in her voice. He didn't like ruining her mood…

Sighing, he placed his journal to the side and stood up, "Well, if you're not going to have fun unless I'm with the rest of you…" He barely had enough time to enjoy the broad grin that was stretching across Jacklyn's face when suddenly Hikaru was bouncing next to her, causing her body to bounce all over the place.

"Pay-back! Pay-back! Pay-back!"

"Ack! Hikaru! Let me get up!"

"Pay-back! Pay-back!"

Allowing for a small smile, Kyoya shook his head and slipped his shoes off his feet. Noting how most of the other boys had also discarded their jackets, he folded his own and set it next to his shoes before awkwardly climbing onto the contraption. Immediately he felt a lack of balance. The whole surface was shaking in waves from the force of the six other bodies bouncing all over it. How was he supposed to stand up in this thing? How were _they?_

Over to Kyoya's right, Jacklyn was still struggling to stand up, as Hikaru was still bouncing near her. It didn't look like she could get a proper foothold either, stuck on her hands and knees as the trampoline floor shook beneath her. He continued to observe the two as Jacklyn somehow managed to get her feet back underneath her and use Hikaru's bounces to stand back up. She stuck her tongue out at the middle school boy before bouncing away in laughter. Hikaru followed, not appearing too deterred about losing his hostage. Unfortunately, Kyoya still had no idea how to get up.

"Here."

Kyoya looked up to his left, where Mori was now standing. He hadn't even heard the upperclassman approach. And he was offering a hand to him.

Blinking a little, Kyoya grabbed the hand and allowed the tall boy to pull him to his feet. Once upright, the ravenet felt much more balanced, oddly enough. The waves from the other's bounces were causing him to bounce around little, but he didn't feel like he was about to fall down either.

He raised an eyebrow at the second year, "Why are you being so kind to me? You, Honey-senpai, and the twins have all been... acting very friendly as of late. Why is that?" Mori blinked, and almost looked… surprised. Which, of course, surprised Kyoya in turn, but not nearly as much as when he got an answer.

"We are friends."

And with that, the 2nd year turned around and bounced away, surprisingly graceful despite his height. For a moment, Kyoya was frozen in place, trying to figure out exactly when the members of the Host Club had become actual _friends_. But his thoughts were interrupted. Again.

"Hey, Boss!"

"How about a game?"

Tamaki, who had been bouncing beside Honey with Usa-chan on his shoulders, paused for a moment and looked over at the twins, "What kind of game?"

"'Who can bounce the highest?'"

Kaoru bounced once, and the second his feet hit the trampoline again, he bent his knees and _launched_ himself into the air. The redhead almost touched the ceiling before he came down again, a mischievous smile on his face, "Whoever touches the ceiling first gets to have a sleepover at Jacklyn's place!"

"Uh… what?" The brunette stopped bouncing, placing her hands on her hips, "When was this decided?"

"Just now! You okay with that?"

The girl scowled, "I would've preferred if you had asked _beforehand_ …"

"But you're okay with it?"

"...Sure."

"Great!"

"Because the loser has to wash all of the dishes in the kitchen!"

"Ready? Go!"

Immediately, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki were jumping as high as they could, reaching up but always falling short of their target. Jacklyn bounced shallowly around the edge of the contraption, watching the competition as she did so. Honey quickly started joining in, but his short height put him at a serious disadvantage. A quick glance told Kyoya that Mori wasn't even trying, which… didn't surprise him. Because he knew that if Honey wasn't going to be at the sleepover, then Mori wouldn't go either. Wait... when had he gotten to know Mori well enough to figure that out?

"OW!"

Kyoya quickly returned his attention to the game, where Tamaki had fallen on his butt, his right hand covering his nose. The blond was pointing at the twins with his free hand, but before he could even speak-

"You didn't _touch_ the ceiling-"

"-you _hit_ it."

Jacklyn giggled from the edge, "He sure looks like he's hit the ceiling, too."

Suddenly, the twins were laughing out loud, Tamaki's expression of pained astonishment paired with Jacklyn's comment apparently hilarious. Kyoya couldn't help a little smirk as well, but then he noticed how none of the others were continuing with the game, too busy either laughing or checking over Tamaki for injuries.

Testing out a little bounce, Kyoya took note of the way the tight mesh beneath his feet reacted every time he jumped. He was already jumping pretty high despite the lack of energy put into his actions, given the size of the trampoline. But what if he added simple physics to the toy? What if…

He glanced over at the twins who were once again back to the game. They weren't nearly as high as they had been before, but their momentum was gaining. Spotting Jacklyn watching them from the other side of the toy, Kyoya got an idea. If he wished to test whether his crush on the brunette would actually amount to anything… then what better way to spend time together than during a sleepover just between the two of them.

Hikaru and Kaoru were still bouncing, arms outstretched as far as they could reach. They were still in sync, as they had already agreed to tie in the game and share the reward. After all, they were curious about where commoners like Jacklyn lived. Coming down, Hikaru guessed that it would only take two more jumps before they could reach the ceiling. He smirked, pleased with the ensured victory.

But the emotion was short lived, as he and Kaoru were both knocked off their feet by an object jumping between them just before their feet hit the mesh. Kyoya went shooting upwards as the twins fell to the side from the whiplash.

With wide eyes, they watched as Kyoya's fingers lightly brushed against the ceiling before he came back down. The glasses-wearing boy bounced once… twice… three times before he was still. Smirking, he adjusted his white shirt sleeves before glancing around, "I do believe I just won, yes?"

The twins couldn't do much more than nod, and quickly glanced around the rest of the club to see if they were missing out on some sort of joke. It didn't look like it… but Tamaki, Honey, and Mori were all smiling knowingly, and Jacklyn's face was a very deep red color.

Immediately the redheads understood _exactly_ what was going on.

"Um, congrats, Kyoya. Well, since I didn't even participate in the game I guess that means I lost." The brunette hurried off the trampoline, grabbing her shoes from the ground. Before anyone could argue, she smiled at them all, "I was already in the middle of dishes before you called me out here anyways."

"Then let us help!"

Jacklyn's smile disappeared as the twins slipped out after her, but she wasn't even given the chance to speak again before they were grabbing her elbows and steering her towards the kitchen.

"You guys don't-"

"Hush."

"We've got a few questions for you, Jacklyn-senpai."

The redheads smirked at each other before leaning in close to the brunette, " _Regarding a certain Vice President of this here club, of course._ "

* * *

 _ **Eeeeeeh!**_ **Everyone knows! Kyoya knows! Hikaru knows! Kaoru knows! Now all that's left is for them all to figure out if the others know, too! And a sleepover! That's going to be interesting…**

 **Welp, I'm off to nurse some nasty sunburns on my arms, which I hope will be partially healed by the time I go in to work tomorrow… unlikely, but I can dream. So, if you liked, please favorite and follow this story, or leave a review if you have already done those things! I really enjoy hearing from all of my readers!**

 **See you next chapter!**


	22. March 24th

**So… I'm not sure I'm ever gonna catch up to these updates. At least not over the course of the summer. It's almost like I** _ **need**_ **something to procrastinate, or my stories become the thing I procrastinate. CURSE MY PROCRASTINATION! But, on the side, I did get hooked onto this new web show because of it, so there's that I suppose…**

 **Anyways, thank you to Momochan77, queenglitch, darkangelynn5, and a guest for your reviews! I know you were waiting for this for a while, so I'm skipping right to the good stuff! Hope you like it!**

 **Disclaimer: No.**

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"The square root of 75," Jacklyn looked up from the notebook in her lap and watched as Kyoya started scribbling in his own. Pushing herself into a more comfortable position, the brunette tucked her bare feet in between the two couch cushions. For a moment she teased the idea of grabbing a pair of socks, but quickly dismissed it. She rarely wore socks if she could avoid it. _If only going barefoot was more acceptable in public…_

Before her mind could travel much further down that tangent, Kyoya poked her leg with his pencil eraser, "5 times the square root of 3."

"Mhm." The girl nodded, a proud smile on her face, "That's the last one I have for you. Wanna take a small break?"

"What, are you finally going to put some socks on?"

"Never!" Jacklyn laughed maniacally, as if her feet weren't currently buried ankle deep in the couch. Kyoya sighed, but his lips were still quirked as he flipped his notebook shut. They still had the rest of the weekend to study for finals. What was a thirty minute break?

Besides, it was meant to be a sleepover. Not a study session.

Kyoya stretched his hands above his head, eyes falling shut as his muscles relaxed. Letting out another sigh, arms falling to his side once again, he opened his eyes to see Jacklyn gathering up the pizza box from the coffee table and squishing the cardboard flat. Spotting his dirty plate, the ravenet went to grab it only for Jacklyn to snatch it up first.

Before he could object, she smiled and jerked her head towards the left corner of the sitting room, "If you want something to do, you could bring that big box over to the couch."

She walked out of the room as Kyoya glanced at the indicated object. He'd noticed it earlier on that afternoon when he first arrived, it was a fairly large box after all, but hadn't bothered to mention it.

"What's in it?" he asked, standing up and stretching once more.

"Dunno. My mom and dad sent it from back home. Could be anything, I just haven't opened it yet. I was hoping you could help me with that," Jacklyn called back from the kitchen.

Kyoya hummed, interest piqued. He experimentally tried to pick the box up himself, but it was too wide to really reach around and grab the bottom. After a few more tries, he dropped to one knee and hooked his fingers along the bottom edge and pulled upwards. He managed to lift the side up by a few inches, but quickly let it drop back to the floor.

Breathing more heavily than he probably should've, the ravenet glared at the box. A small cough had him looking over his shoulder. Jacklyn was smiling at him from the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. He blushed, embarrassed that he couldn't even lift a dumb box.

"Just kick it over to the middle of the room."

He did, but it was still harder than he had anticipated. When it finally slid close enough to the middle for the brunette to take pity on him, Kyoya felt like he'd just jogged around the complex… twice.

With a big huff, he collapsed beside his classmate, "Did they send you a rock garden?"

Jacklyn shrugged, ripping off the packing tape from the top. With a sharp yank it came loose, the top flaps lifting at the force of it. The American happily stuck the long piece of tape to Kyoya's cheek before reaching forward to open the top, hiding a smile when Kyoya poked her with a 'hey!'

The top of the box had a nice layer of bubble wrap, which captured the brunette's attention almost immediately. She let out a high, happy noise and popped a few bubbles before tossing one of the sheets to her friend. Kyoya raised an eyebrow, but indulged in popping one of the bubbles of air.

And another one.

And another.

Another.

Soon enough Kyoya was popping as many bubbles as he could, eyes glued to the plastic. The next minute consisted of nothing but the sound of little 'pops' coming from the two teenagers, both of them sitting cross legged next to each other, knees just barely touching.

They finished their sheets roughly around the same time, Jacklyn quickly discarding hers to the side and shifting to her knees to peer into the box. Kyoya, however, was staring at the plastic in disbelief.

"Did we really just spend two minutes doing nothing but popping bubble wrap?"

"Yup!" Jacklyn smiled at the boy from over her shoulder, "It's a siren call. None can escape it. Plus," she grunted the word out, pulling out a long line of books almost as long as her arm, "it's a great stress relief. It kept me sane when we moved a few years ago."

"I imagine so." Moving to kneel beside her, Kyoya joined in unpacking the whole box. Jacklyn didn't seem interested in going through the package one item at a time, and for once Kyoya didn't question her. Clearly she had a system of some sort, and while he was a guest in her apartment for the night, he'd play by her rules.

Sooner than he'd expected, the entire box was empty. Around them were scattered piles of books, movie cases, a puzzle box, and multiple envelopes, plus a few more sheets of bubble wrap. Kyoya was side-eyeing that last pile, wondering if there would be any left for him to take home in the morning, when Jacklyn suddenly reached over his lap to grab the books on his left. She grinned at the covers, not even bothering to hide her excitement.

"They did it! I asked them to send my Percy Jackson books and they did! They even sent the newest ones!" The brunette hugged the books to her chest tightly before setting them all into one pile in front of her. Going through the movies was also a brief experience, they were just a couple of her favorites she'd requested from home. After a few questions from Kyoya, Jacklyn had decided that they were going to watch 'The Princess Bride' as soon as they finished sorting through the rest of the stuff. No objections.

Jacklyn was critiquing the puzzle box when Kyoya noticed something… odd. When the envelopes had first been dumped into a small pile on the floor, he had assumed they were letters from her friends back home. But on closer inspection… they appeared to be professionally typed up. Not to mention that all of the envelopes were nearly identical to each other. The only differences were the return addresses, most of them consisting of colorful letters or pictures.

He picked one up that had 'SVSU' in bold red in the left corner and turned it towards the brunette, "Jacklyn? What are these?"

"Hmm?" She looked away from the box in her hand to glance at the envelope. Immediately her eyebrow arched, "Oh. SVSU…"

He let her take it from him and watched as she pulled a neatly folded piece of paper out, also adorned with red 'SVSU' at the top. After a few seconds of skimming over the letter, she passed it over to him.

"Eh, it's no big deal. They're just trying to capture potential students earlier than usual. I'll probably throw most of these out."

She dragged the remaining pile over towards her as Kyoya read the paper in his hands. "This…" his eyes narrowed, "this is a sales pitch."

"For them, yeah. SVSU stands for Saginaw Valley State University. And they want me as a student once I graduate from high school." Jacklyn shifted through the envelopes, but didn't open them, "Like I said, I'll probably throw most of them away. I'm not really focused on choosing a college just yet, and they don't have much information. Just a bunch of filler words, trying to catch my attention."

Humming, she sorted the envelopes into two piles before gathering up the larger one into her arms. Kyoya watched as she carried them back out into the kitchen and threw them in the trash. She'd only kept three, including the SVSU letter still in Kyoya's hand.

Walking back into the sitting room, she gave him a smile before scooping up some of the books, "Let's get this stuff put away and then we can start the movie." Carefully lining her new additions onto the bookshelf that stood by her television, she continued talking about how much she loved the movie they were apparently going to watch. Kyoya only gave out small noises to show he was still listening, but found himself still staring at the letter.

"If you want I have some popcorn we can make. Unless you're still full from pizza… Kyoya?" He looked up, not surprised to see Jacklyn watching him with concern, "Are you okay?"

"I… yes, I'm… sorry. I just forgot."

"Forgot what?"

The ravenet hesitated, then shook his head, setting the letter down on the small pile on the floor, "That you're not staying in Japan indefinitely."

"...oh."

Jacklyn shuffled her feet for a moment, eyes turning down towards the carpet before she turned back to the bookshelf. Kyoya quietly put her movies away while she finished shelving her new books. Nothing was said, even when she took the picture puzzle to her bedroom, leaving Kyoya to turn on the DVD player by himself.

He didn't know why he was so upset. It wasn't like Kyoya didn't know that Jacklyn was only an exchange student for a short period of time. He had just… temporarily forgotten, like he'd said. After all, her presence had become a part of his everyday life, same as with the other hosts. It was ridiculous to be upset at the discovery that the colleges and universities back in America still wanted her as a student.

They hadn't forgotten where she came from, it appeared.

"Kyoya?"

Startled, the boy turned his head to see Jacklyn was already back in the room, now curled up on her end of the couch. The overly-large sweater she had donned an hour beforehand looked even bigger when she huddled in it like that.

Quickly placing the disc in the player, he joined her. It was still uncommonly quiet as the commercials played, both of the teenagers situated on the far ends of the furniture. It wasn't until the main menu popped on screen and Kyoya reached for the remote that Jacklyn spoke at all.

"Are you mad at me?"

"What? No!" Properly shocked, Kyoya found himself floundering for words, "I'm sorry. No, I'm not mad. At you or otherwise."

Jacklyn didn't seem to notice how out of character his insistence was, still curled up in her sweater, her eyes not focusing on anything in particular, "It's okay… honestly, sometimes _I_ forget I'm going home eventually."

"You do?"

The girl smirked, finally glancing over at her friend, "Well, you guys are so crazy and in-your-face, sometimes it's hard to think straight after prolonged exposure." Her smirk vanished, "And… there are times when I feel like Japan _is_ home."

The two lapsed into silence once more, staring at the main title screen while the music played softly in the background. Kyoya spotted the remote on the coffee table in front of him, but he didn't want to start the movie. Not just yet.

"Have you ever considered… _not_ leaving?" The brunette turned to stare at him, so he quickly continued on, "After all, you're going to be finishing your education _here_ , on a completely different curriculum. How would you be expected to return to the American curriculum for college after that? Would you even be allowed into your universities? I'd imagine there would be a few lessons or tests that you'll have missed out on."

Jacklyn tilted her head forward, resting her cheek against her knees, "Then why send me the letters at all? It'll probably be like being a transfer student. And I could always take any mandatory tests over the summer or something if I really needed to." For a moment she continued to watch the ravenet, even when he turned back towards the television. He looked so… unhappy. She could tell now that he wasn't mad, per say… but sad wasn't the word either.

Nibbling her lower lip, she huddled herself into a tighter ball, now wishing she had grabbed a sweater with a hood as well, "Kyoya… did you know that when we first met… I considered cutting my stay short?"

"What?"

"I almost decided to go back home after only a year."

Kyoya blinked owlishly at her, like he couldn't exactly process the information, "Were we that horrible to you?"

"Yeah, you kinda were, now that you mention it." The following expression of pure _alarm_ finally broke the remaining tension in the room. Jacklyn unwound herself, laughing like Kyoya had just told her an amazing joke. She was still giggling as she promised, "I got over it. I figured I could ignore you being a dick for three years so long as I got along with the others, but I'm glad that's no longer the game plan. Don't worry, you're still stuck with me for two more years."

For a few seconds, Kyoya managed a small smile, but then it died, "You're still leaving… in the end."

"Well… yeah. I suppose. I mean," she tugged at the bottom of her sweater, "I miss my family. I miss my house. I miss my friends… but I guess when I leave I'd miss you guys as well. Oh, why do we have to live on the opposite ends of the world?"

It was Kyoya's turn to laugh, though his was more of a controlled chuckle, "A poor twist in fate, it would seem. But for what it's worth, I will definitely miss you just as much. Perhaps we can arrange it so you'll be forced to visit every month or so? I doubt Tamaki or the others would accept anything less from you." The two smiled at each other for a brief moment before Jacklyn turned away, a dusting of pink across her cheeks. She tugged gently at her fingers, legs curling back on the couch cushion as she carefully measured her next words.

"You're so set on keeping me in Japan... very well, then," she glanced at Kyoya out of the corner of her eye, effectively pinning him in place, "Give me one good reason to stay."

Kyoya managed to keep his composure, even though his mind was racing, "Just one?"

"One _good_ reason. There's a difference, you know."

"I..." he swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. Jacklyn was facing him completely now, half-curled in on herself once more. She looked so small, burrowed in her sweater like that, but not fragile. Something in her gaze was strong. Questioning. She wanted to know something. Something from him.

 _Could she be asking... no, there's no way that she could know. But then what's with the cryptic questions? How would she react if I_ did _tell her? What if it's not the answer she was expecting? What if it_ is? _I can't just... can I?_

"Jacklyn... I-"

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_

" _Jac~chan~_ "

" _Hey! Open up!_ "

Both teenagers jolted in their seats, Jacklyn's right hand coming up to grip at the fabric above where her heart was, the girl taking in deep breaths that weren't completely theatrical. After a second, the brunette ran for the door, yanking it open to reveal the rest of the host club smiling back at her.

Her mouth fell open in shock, but before she could speak they were walking inside, slipping off their shoes and pressing a pink box into her hands, all while talking at the same time. It wasn't until Kyoya stormed out of the living room and demanded to know what was going on that they quieted down, staring at their friends in confusion.

"Well, isn't it obvious?"

"We're here for the sleepover!"

The others nodded in agreement, seemingly not put out by the disbelief etched across their hostess's face. She looked around her now entirely too crowded kitchen before falling against her front door, shutting it at the same time. The boys didn't appear to notice, as they began fluttering around the tiny apartment. Honey was poking his nose into any cupboard he could find, probably on the hunt for sweets, while Tamaki pushed past a disgruntled Kyoya to get a good look at the sitting room.

It wasn't until the twins tried to open the door to Jacklyn's bedroom that she snapped out of it, dropping the gift onto the table and pulling the redheads away by their shirt collars, "And just _what_ do you think you're doing?"

"Exploring!" Kaoru wiggled out of her grip first, spinning around on his heel, "Your home is a lot smaller than I thought it would be. How on Earth do you not go crazy being cooped up in here?"

"Um, because it's only me living here? Honey-senpai don't touch that, it's sharp! But the real question is, why are you all _here?_ Kyoya won the challenge-"

"But we wanted to have a sleepover with you, too!" Honey skipped over and wrapped his arms around her leg in a hug, "Is that okay, Jac-chan? We brought our own things to sleep on!"

"But there's no _room-_ "

"We can make room!" Tamaki was back in the kitchen, trying to gesture and flail like his usual self, but Jacklyn noticed his face was a little more ashen colored than usual, "Besides? How could we let Kyoya keep you to himself for an _entire night?_ What sort of friends would we be to leave you in such dangerous-"

Kyoya cleared his throat, a dark purple aura starting to creep around his silhouette, "Please keep in mind that you are standing next to me before finishing that sentence, Tamaki, and what you are inferring of my character when you say it. Also... keep in mind that I know where you live."

"Yeah..." Jacklyn grimanced a little, "I kinda expected more of you, Tamaki. Partially because Kyoya is your best friend, and partially because of how transparent that lie would've been. I mean, how would your issue with the sleepover possibly be solved by bringing in _five more_ teenage boys?" Once Tamaki's face was a sufficient red color and his stuttering had gone on for fifteen uninterrupted seconds, the brunette sighed and released Hikaru to cross her arms, "On that same note, since you're all here and, apparently, are all set to stay, you might as well."

Kyoya opened his mouth like he was about to argue, and he probably would have done so if it weren't for Jacklyn's expression. She might sound put out by the host club's sudden appearance and their assumption that they'd be welcomed with open arms, but there was something in the way her shoulders were relaxed that took the heat out of her words. If anything... Kyoya would have to guess that the surprise was actually a pleasant one in Jacklyn's eyes.

 _Of course. I'm not her only friend here. Our previous conversation wasn't on the happiest of topics. She wants company. And lots of it._

Kyoya sucked in a deep breath before leaning against the doorway, "Well, I suppose if you're all going to stay, we were about to watch a movie Jacklyn's parents sent her from America. I assume that by the time you finish arguing over where everyone is sitting we'll have the popcorn ready." Before he even finished his sentence the boys were pushing past him to get into the sitting room, Tamaki already shrieking at the twins that Jacklyn would _not_ be sitting on their laps.

The ravenet managed to return Jacklyn's rather large smile before calling after the other boys, "Jacklyn and I claimed the couch first!"

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 **I know that I referenced The Princess Bride in one of my other stories, but I can't help it, it's my absolute _favorite_ movie of all time! On a more somber note, I just realized that I only have three more chapters planned out for this story. I didn't realize how close it was coming to an end... Huh.**

 **Anyways, if you liked this chapter/story/my writing in general, please favorite and follow this story. And a review would be nice, as well!**

 **See you next chapter!**


	23. March 27th

**Hello everyone! I am back with more Jacklyn content! I know, it's been a while, but hopefully I'm back to updating regularly… without another hiatus like this time.**

 **Thank you to queenglitch, Kitsune to Tenshi-chan, Momochan77, slucky13, XxUndoubtedlyBrokenxX, TheRealTaylor13, gossamermouse101, and a guest for your reviews on my last chapter! This one's for you!**

 **And since a number of you have asked about it, there** _ **will**_ **be a sequel to this story that will pay tribute to Dealing with Renge and will also include Haruhi. (I'm sorry XxUndoubtedlyBrokenxX, but the sequel's going to follow the show. Sorry)**

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 **Disclaimer: Nuh uh. I'm getting kinda tired of writing these...**

* * *

Jacklyn stared down at the little cat puppet in her hands. It's eyes, which usually appeared to be glaring at whoever they were turned to, looked almost… understanding as they stared back. The brunette smiled softly, gently straightening out the cat's ears before setting it back in her lap.

Looking up at her other companion, her stomach gave another twist of worry. Nekozawa had his nose buried in a rather thick black book, purple letters in a language she didn't know shimmered in the dappled light sneaking through the leaves above them. Just above the lip of the spellbook she could just barely see the boy's forehead, which was shiny with sweat.

She bit her lip, "Nekozawa-senpai… are you sure you want to do this outside? It's pretty bright out here… and that cloak you're wearing looks real thick." She held his puppet up to show the older boy, "Even Beelzenef looks worried for you."

Bright blue eyes peeked over the book, regarding the two pairs of eyes watching him in concern before letting the book fall into his lap, a smile curling on his face, "While your concern is heartwarming, Prout-san, lighter spells require light. And I'm fine with the heat. For once my fingers aren't stiff with cold."

She didn't look entirely convinced, but Jacklyn nodded and let Nekozawa disappear behind his book again. Sighing, she draped the puppet over her left knee and drew one of her many notebooks into her own lap. Bullet points and chemical reactions stared back at her from the page, her notes for science class. She really should be studying with Tamaki and Kyoya, considering they had another exam in two hours, but when Nekozawa had come to her asking for help… well, she didn't see much of the 2nd year student as it was.

"How's the studying going?"

"I hate it. I hate exams… in every country."

"Well, if you wouldn't mind take a break… I think I found something."

"Really?" She knocked the notebook out of her lap without a second thought, leaning forward with Beelzenef in her hands once again.

Nekozawa nodded hesitantly, eyes still roaming the page, "It's a spell that could go both ways… dark and light, at least. The results seem to depend on your thoughts towards the person you're trying to curse… er, cast it upon."

"So… since you think of Kirimi positively, it'll have a positive effect?" The brunette smiled again, "That sounds perfect! I'm so proud of you!"

"I always thought the best way to connect with Kirimi would be for her to succumb to the dark forces…" he mumbled.

Smile fading a little, Jacklyn hesitantly reached forward to touch the boy's knee, "I know. It was probably very difficult for you to look for a spell like that, especially outside in the sun. But from what you've told me… if she's a little girl afraid of the dark, then friendly spells might be the best way for you two to find some common ground. I can't promise it'll work… but I'm glad you're trying."

The boy managed a nervous smile, "I… I think I'd like to try it out. On you, if you wouldn't mind."

Jacklyn arched an eyebrow, "Oh… promise I'm not going to become cursed?"

"Not as long as I do it correctly." His smile shifted, becoming more sincere, "You're the first person to not be afraid of me outside of the black magic club. Even though we can't speak often due to club interferences, you're still helping me find a way to reconcile with my little sister. I thank you for that. It means a lot to have another friend at Ouran."

Jacklyn looked down at her lap, cheeks flushed with the praise. She felt so proud of herself for stepping out of her shell that day. Normally, she just sat around waiting for an extrovert to like her and "adopt" her… like when Tamaki had suddenly decided they would be friends. But to be able to do the same for another introvert… it felt good. Nekozawa and Nachi…

"Can I try?"

The brunette smiled, giving the boy a nod of encouragement. He returned the nod and pulled the book into his lap. After consulting the page again, he delicately touched his fingers together in a downward-steeple position, keeping his eyes shut except to glance down at the page for the words.

Jacklyn remained still, watching in mild fascination as he chanted. She had only ever seen him perform 'magic' twice before, and it was definitely interesting in its own right. It was hard to explain… but she wasn't afraid of Nekozawa, so his magic didn't make her afraid either. Besides, most of the spells he had told her about weren't very dangerous. Looking into the future, giving someone you disliked a bad day… all the harsher stuff was more fun and games, or didn't have enough power behind it to be magically binding.

Even so, she jolted a little when she felt something change. Her head felt almost… lighter. It was the same feeling she got after a haircut…

Reaching up with a hand, her fingers ghosted over her hair, finding it smooth and feather soft. In front of her, Nekozawa had opened his eyes at her movement as was now staring with a small smile.

Noticing the curiosity burning within her eyes, he pulled out a mirror from his black magic kit and offered it to her. Jacklyn's fingers shook ever so slightly as she took it. Her reflection stared back at her, looking shocked beyond belief. Her hair looked… amazing. Like the hair of the other girls at Ouran when they were going on and on about their latest salon trip.

When she finally met Nekozawa's eyes again, she was able to return his smile.

*Time Skip*

"That was so cool! Just keep practicing and I'm sure you'll get to the point where Kirimi won't be afraid!" Jacklyn hurried back into the school with a new spring to her step, Nekozawa quickly following to get out of the natural sunlight. The girl was still clutching Beelzenef to her chest, a little attached to the cat puppet, with one hand occasionally coming up to stroke at her new pretty hair. She knew she was probably getting her finger oil all over it, but she couldn't help herself.

Nekozawa smiled at the girl's enthusiasm, "Thank you, Prout-san."

"No problem! And you can call me Jacklyn if you want!"

He blinks, "Very well… Jacklyn-san."

The brunette beamed, holding Beelzenef out for the older boy to take, "I've gotta run. Kyo- _ouch!_ " She stumbled forward, nearly falling to the floor if her friend hadn't grabbed her arms.

"Oh... sorry about-" the boy cut himself off, his words suddenly frozen in his throat due to the death glare he was receiving. "N-Nekozawa-san. I-I…"

"Save it, Izuhara-san." The second-year stepped in front of his friend, scowling deeply at the boy. Despite the apology the other had tried to give Jacklyn, Nekozawa wasn't buying it. He remembered overhearing the boy and his friends making fun of the American when she first arrived at their school. Back then he hadn't said anything about it because he didn't know the girl well enough, but now that he did, he wasn't going to let anyone talk bad or mockingly hurt his friend.

Keeping his hood lowered to cast deep shadows across his face, Nekozawa gave the boy the creepiest smile he could muster, "If you think your apology is fooling anyone, you are sorely mistaken. Does it truly bother you so much that an exchange student younger than you is also smarter and more talented? Enough to purposefully try to knock her down in the hallways? Attempt to embarrass her?"

"I-I didn't mean to! It was an accident!" Izuhara was shaking like a leaf, his wide eyes darting around the hallway, pleading for help.

Jacklyn watched in shock, a hand outstretched towards Nekozawa tentatively but not touching him yet, unsure how to calm her friend down. She had never seen him like this before…

"Hey, Jacklyn? Are you alright?" The brunette jumped, spinning around at Tamaki's question. The blond was looking her over, occasionally giving Nekozawa a nervous look as he continued to chew the other boy out. "Kyoya and I wanted to know if you were ready to study with us now…"

At the lie, Jacklyn raised an eyebrow. She had told both of her classmates that she'd join them as soon as she was finished helping Nekozawa. Tamaki was just high strung when it came to the 2nd year student. Unlike with Jacklyn, the older boy frightened Tamaki to the point where he almost outright forbid the brunette from hanging out with Nekozawa. No matter what Jacklyn tried to tell him.

"I'm fine, Tamaki. Nekozawa-senpai?" She inched towards her friend, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, "Really, leave it. I'm not hurt. He apologized. You're scaring him." It was true. Izuhara was practically in tears, cowering underneath the boy's stern gaze. The moment Nekozawa turned around, he ran down the hallway without a backwards glance.

" _I wasn't done with you!_ " The boy growled before turning back to Jacklyn. He went to ask again if she was _sure_ she was okay… when he realized her hands were empty. She was no longer holding Beelzenef. His beloved puppet was on the floor.

 _Underneath Suoh's shoe!_

Tamaki's face paled when Nekozawa's stricken face turned to him. Slowly, the blond looked down. Saw the puppet beneath his foot. Looked back up at Nekozawa's face. Then turned tail and pulled an Izuhara.

The moment Tamaki was no longer squishing the puppet beneath his shoe Jacklyn hastily scooped him off the floor. Cooing in concern she dusted the scuff marks off as best as she could, finding herself cradling the little cat as she murmured apology after apology.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to drop him! I was gonna pick him up immediately but then people started talking to or about me and I didn't want you to get in trouble for saying something too mean and then Tamaki showed up and I'm so sorry-"

"Jacklyn-san, it's alright." Nekozawa gingerly inspected the puppet, still leaving it in the girl's hands as he did so, "You didn't mean to forget. And I must apologize as well for frightening your classmate, for that was not my intent. I'm sure he did not mean to step on Beelzenef, just as you didn't mean to drop him. Besides, he looks fine."

Sighing, Jacklyn cast a quick glance over her shoulder in the direction Tamaki had gone, "If you're sure… then I should probably go after him. Make sure he doesn't hurt himself or anything…" Carefully placing the puppet back on his owner's hand, she waved a quick goodbye to her friend before running down the hallway.

As she ran, other students would look up from their conversations or notebooks and point her wordlessly in the direction they had seen Tamaki go. She waved at them in thanks, finding herself in the language department before long.

Rounding a corner, the American barely slowed herself down as to not run full tilt into Kyoya. As it was, the boy still had to grab Jacklyn around her waist to keep them from falling onto the floor. The two stared at each other, one breathless from all the running and the other having momentarily forgetting how to breathe.

"Hi."

At the word, Kyoya quickly released his friend and took a step back, readjusting his glasses, "Hello. I take it you were running after Tamaki?" He clears his throat, hoping his cheeks weren't _too_ red. Hopefully she would assume the color was from him running after Tamaki, just as hers were. When she makes an affirming remark, he gestures for her to look inside of the classroom they had collided in front of.

Jacklyn gave the ravenet an odd look before peeking in through the door's window. She blinked. There he was. Tamaki was sitting at a desk in the middle of the classroom, staring down at the paper in front of him and around the room in what appeared to be complete and total panic.

"I decided to follow Tamaki on his mission to find you, just in case he said something to offend either you or Nekozawa-senpai. But by the time I found him he was already walking into the Beginning Greek class like he was in a trance… and now he appears to be taking their end-of-the-year exam."

"He looks pale."

"Yes… no doubt he believes he's under some sort of curse or another. What exactly happened when he came to collect you?" Jacklyn gave her friend the short version. He didn't seem especially surprised.

The two went back to watching Tamaki. He was looking around the room like a lost puppy, but the teacher wasn't even watching his students. From the two 1st year's point of view… it looked like he was playing a card game on his computer.

"Shouldn't we go get him? I feel weird just watching him."

"I wouldn't suggest it. While test taking might be a little different in America, in Japan… let's just say you do _not_ want to interrupt the rest of the class. He'll be fine once he's let out. He'll probably run straight to the library to find us and start telling us about the curse he was just under."

"Hmm. Best not disappoint him, then." Kyoya gave his companion a smirk before gesturing for her to lead the way, which she did. Then paused, "But… the exam…"

"Science has always been Tamaki's strong suit. And he's been studying all week along with this past hour. And he should be mentally stable again by the time we sit down to take our exam."

"Okay… I trust you, Kyoya."

"I would hope so."

Jacklyn couldn't help the giggle that slipped through as they started walking again, the girl taking Kyoya's hand in order to hurry him along. She remained completely unaware of the pink blush staining the boy's cheeks.

* * *

 **Awww… cute stuff. AND ONLY TWO MORE CHAPTERS TO GO! HECK YES, I'VE BEEN WAITING TO WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER EVER SINCE I STARTED THIS STORY! Anyways, I hoped y'all liked the Nekozawa part. I didn't include him and Jacklyn's friendship in the story as much as I wanted to, so I probably owe y'all some explanations. Basically, they were both so wrapped up in what was going on with their clubs that they could only spend a little bit of time together. And since most of my chapters have only included Jacklyn's interactions with the Host Club… there wasn't a good way to include them all.**

 **Anywho, if you liked this chapter/story/my character, please favorite, follow, and leave a review! Reviews mean so much to me, I love hearing from you all.**

 **See you next chapter!**


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